Two Sides Of The Same Coin
by Abyss the Hedgehog
Summary: Casper Stratoavis gets transferred to Yamaku Academy after an incident which leaves half of his face completely destroyed. Unfamiliar to his new environment and surrounded by people with disabilities, how will he fare here? Will he be able to find friends? Also... Will the other one get in the way? OC included, no pairings for now. May become AU at some point.
1. Prologue: Welcome in Yamaku Academy

**To say that I'm moved by Katawa Shoujo would be nothing short of an understatement. Inspired, I come with the work. Here I come then with an OC, who will actually not take Hisao's place. Rather, he'll take place of one of those background people. Let's see what I can do to make it all work. Please forgive me my rusty English. Hope you'll enjoy.**

* * *

...They say every coin has two sides.

I'm not sure what to think about it. I think I became such a coin now.

My name is Casper Stratoavis and I'm a new Two-Face. What do I mean by that? Perhaps that latest accident on science lesson. Turns out, splashing someone's face with sulfuric acid actually does damage.

You know how sulfuric acid works? One of its properties is its hygroscopic ability. What does it exactly mean? Well, it extracts water from everything it touches, including air. How pleasant does is feel to get splashed with something that can almost immediately dry you clean?

The one thing that consoles me is that the acid in question reached only one half of my face. It still turned it into something that would put Arnold Toht's treatment to shame, including the hair, the right eye, the right ear and a part of my mouth. Miraculously, the nose got saved whole so at least there's that.

I don't have to tell that the whole experience was somewhat unpleasant.

Because of my freshly-acquired disability, I'm transferring to another school. There's an academy in place called Yamaku which is exclusively for physically disabled students. The whole concept of abandoning everything so I can just move to other school kind of escapes me. I mean, I could still work even with such a major face injury. It's not like I went completely deaf or blind. On the other hand, when I think about Agusu... The thought of moving away from her suddenly becomes an incredibly tempting thing.

Right. I think at this point I should mention who Agusu is. Well... She used to be my girlfriend. We broke up a week before that incident, but she had never really came to terms with it. She was always overly attached to me. A little too much. To be honest, it was creeping me out how she and her posse of girl delinquents from my old school physically threatened every other girl that was in my vicinity. I decided I cannot put up with this. She was intelligent, attractive and caring, true, but her lack of empathy towards everything not being me was... unsettling. She was a borderline yandere. When I broke up with her, she apparently decided that if she cannot have me, no one will... Fast forward to today.

I suppose there's at least one reader out there who wonders about my definitely not-Japanese name. I think I can mention it while I'm still in the train to Yamaku. My origins are European: I'm half-German, half-Polish. Born and raised in Hamburg, my family moved to Japan something about two years ago. I'm still not sure why exactly did we end up here, but being a half-arsed otaku, I was more than content. Previously I lived with my parents in Tokyo, but the incident with acid forced me to change schools. As it turned out, Yamaku is a boarding school. Well, that's new, to be honest. I've never had an opportunity to live in one. To be honest... I'm kinda worried. My parents tend to be... weird, but they had always provided me with emotional support when necessary. Now, the only thing I'll heard from them will be a cellphone.

The incident didn't really change much. My disability isn't the prettiest around, yeah, but I still have the other eye and the other ear perfectly viable. Makes me wonder what will I do with that other part. Perhaps they'll offer me a mask of some sort? Yeah, I can totally imagine that, wearing a Deadpool-esque mask all the time.

...Okay, it changed a bit.

It shouldn't come off as a surprise that such incidents initially come off as a great shock, especially if said shock is paired with an extreme pain. Such circumstances can lead to various mental disorders. My parents, quite sensibly, decided to check my brain as well. Turns out... I got diagnosed with a case of dissociative identity disorder. To put it shortly, there's... other me. I tend to call him Nega. Apparently, which is a strange case by itself, he's aware of me and _vice versa_. Heck, we even tend to make smalltalk every so often. That being said, I don't like him, even if this feeling isn't mutual. He's, from what I've gathered so far, largely based on... a character I created some time ago. I'm a writer, well, an amateur one... But hell, I'm starting to go offtrack.

He's mischievous, to put it lightly. Definitely enjoys discord he may cause if he ever takes over. He's malignant, painfully sardonic and also tends to be extremely blunt with most of his statements. I usually keep him in check, but sometimes... Sometimes, usually due to stress or another case of shock, he appears, shoving me aside. Nega tends to be "online", as he once put it, for at least an hour. The most egregious case involved him taking control for the whole day, but those are one-shots that don't happen often.

Do I react when people mention my face in some way? Sometimes. It usually depends on their actual reaction. To be honest, I expect people in Yamaku to rather just raise an eyebrow rather than jump away in pure terror. Sometimes I reply with a snide remark, sometimes I just make a shrug. I don't like to beat around the bush in that case. When people ask, I just casually state what happened, usually also throwing the note about my split personality and ending the short conversation with a shrug. I'm not a martyr to glorify my injury, but there's no point in acting all mysterious about it. If people are curious, I satiate their curiosity. That's it.

* * *

Well, here I am. To be honest... I didn't expect it to be so... I dunno, rustic. It has a nice feel to it. I was always a sucker for history and nice architecture. I suppose insides will be more modern though, what's with school's entire premise to be comfortable for disabled people. Considering how mine own disability doesn't do that much to limit my movement, I couldn't care less.

Interestingly, there's another guy waiting near the gate. He has short brown hair with a single strand sticking around. To be honest, he looks pretty average. A classical Japanese high school student, one of the many seen in all those anime. Makes me wonder what's his disability. He doesn't seem blind as he appears to read the sign near the main gate. Maybe he's deaf then? Or mute? Gah... I shouldn't have such a curiosity about those things. I suppose certain people are more than likely to be sensitive about the topic. I can almost imagine it. "Hi, I'm Casper Stratoavis and I miss half of my face. How about ya?" I definitely need to work on my tact.

He turns and it just so happens that I'm in his line of sight. The brown-haired guy goes wide-eyed, and I suppose my face is enough of a reason.

Seeing as the first impression didn't go all that well, I decide to take a step further and do something to repair it.

"Hi there." I greet him with a casual hand gesture.

"H-hi..." He responds after a short while of hesitation, trying not to look at the other part of my face. If I were a girl, perhaps I could mask it with hair or something... But alas, I cannot. "You're a new guy too?"

"Take a wild guess, mate." I say with a slight smile. I suppose it may come up as even more disturbing, seeing as the other half of the smile dies out in a giant scald. That's when I noticed the other guy is pretty short... Or was I that big? Well, being an European certainly grants you with more respectable height. Standing at 180 centimeters, I suppose I could be perceived as noticeably tall.

"Right..." He replies after a while, nodding. "...Uh, you're not Japanese?" Well, that should have been obvious, even when taking into consideration my beautiful mug.

"Yeah. Half-German, Half-Polish. Moved to Japan about two years ago. Oh right, didn't introduce myself. Casper Stratoavis." I tip my black fedora to him to which he responds with a nervous bow.

"Hisao Nakai. Pleased to meet you, Stratoavis-san... I guess."

"The feeling is mutual." It is then when I notice my parents closing to the main gate. Apparently they've dealt with all the formalities, so it's free for me to enter. But what's this? Took me a while to realize, now that my vision is slightly confined, but there are two other people with them. Hm. They're most likely Nakai-san's parents.

"Your homeroom teacher waits for you in the corridor." My mum says, giving me a slight smile. "All of your things are already in your room, so you only need to unpack things."

"Right. Thanks a lot." I respond with my now trademark half-a-smile.

"You and Hisao-kun will be located in room-next-door." This statement makes me raise my remaining eyebrow. Oh? I love it when my parents dictate what's the best for me not even bothering to ask about my opinion. I give one more look at Hisao. He seems like a nice guy for now, so I suppose there's nothing wrong with us being neighbors. "Well, we need to get going. Take care of yourself."

"Sure thing, Mum. See you soon." We give each other a hug before she goes to our old Renault. Meanwhile, Hisao's mother says farewell to him.

"Behave, right?" My dad says, giving me a nod. We both shake hands. "If anything's wrong, call us."

"Thanks." Finally, both mine and Hisao's parents depart, leaving us behind. The only thing we can now do is to enter the walls of Yamaku Academy for one year...

Well, it's most likely like any other school, just with other people. Nothing to fret about.

* * *

Our homeroom teacher seems a bit out of place, but appears to be a nice guy. Akio Mutou or something like that... I'm not sure I quite caught his name. He asks both of us if we want to introduce ourselves to class. Sure, why not?

Apparently the class has only sixteen people in it, not counting us. Huh. I suppose it's easier to manage such a group when it's smaller. "Such a group"... I can't help but think it sounds insulting.

I gave a quick glance at my new classmates. Most of them didn't have any glaring injury that everyone could see, save perhaps for two girls in the front: The former missed her left hand, the latter had prosthetic legs. Interestingly, she(the legless gi-That sounds wrong too) wasn't Asian, but rather had some sort of an Indian heritage. Perhaps she was, just like me, a foreigner living in Japan. Of other people who piqued my interest there was a guy with a beret and incredibly annoyed expression, as if he just wanted to end the class for today; a guy who looked incredibly like Lelouch Lamperouge; a pink-haired girl with those weird curls thing – they looked a bit like drills, to be honest – a guy with a considerable corpulence, blatantly sleeping with his mouth open; a girl with a fringe covering the right part of her face and keeping said fringe with her hand which, interestingly, had severe burn marks over it and, last but not least, a short-haired girl with glasses shooting both me and Hisao a cold, challenging glare. What's her problem?

"Well, from today we'll be having two new students in our class." Mutou started, presenting us to the audience. I think I saw a few interested glares, but most of people were just doing their own business, giving us absent-minded looks. To be honest, it's a nice change of pace. The wildest reaction had to be the one of scarred girl with a fringe, as she for a few seconds looked like a fish without water, desperately grasping for air. I suppose it had something to do with the fact that her and my injury were so similar.

There was a long moment of silence after Mutou's initial speech. Yeah, who will introduce himself first? I don't want to come out as rude, so I just give a welcoming gesture to Hisao. He nods and clears his throat.

"Well, hi everyone." He has some visible problems speaking. Considering he probably used to be an average Joe before whatever caused him to move to Yamaku... I hope I won't have the same problem. "I'm Hisao Nakai. I like soccer and reading and, well, I hope we'll get along well." There's a few seconds of clapping from everyone, excluding the sleeping guy in the corner. Even the girl who missed her hand was clapping, which, to be honest, made me feel a little uncomfortable. She didn't have to do it...

Hisao made a small bow and took a place next to the pink-haired girl, leaving me no choice but to sit next to the scarred one. I suppose I can work with that. It's not like my injury is any worse. I cleared my throat before beginning my own speech.

"It is good to meet all of you." I started before realizing I kept turning my left hand in circles. Huh. Some habits don't change. For some reason, this seemed to further annoy the girl with glasses. For the sake of being an ass, I decided to carry on with it. "My name's Casper Stratoavis. Like the previous speaker, I like reading, but also writing stuff. I consider myself something of an artist..." I decided that mentioning the split personality for now seems pointless. "Hope we get along." Mutou's getting slightly impatient, so I decide to cut the conversation, make a small bow and take the last place. I give a small nod to the girl sitting next to me, but she only shies away, avoiding the eye-contact. Oh. Well, I suppose she's just timid or something.

The lesson goes for a while before a sound of bells ringing signals the lunch break. Man, I was getting hungry. Interestingly, the girl next to me scurries almost immediately after the bell. Before I can say a word to her, she's already out of classroom. Huh. She really must be incredibly shy. Well, I suppose there's no point in wondering about it now. Time to get something to eat. Just as I stand up, however, I can feel someone's presence next to me. The person in question seems to be this pink-haired girl, accompanied by the girl with glasses and Hisao. Judging from his expression, they snatched him into whatever scheme they may come up with already. Looks like I'm their next victim.

"May I help you?" I ask the pink-haired girl which only grins in response before... signing to the girl with glasses. Huh. So her disability is being mute? Perhaps that's why she was so annoyed at my senseless hand-turning. The short-haired one signs back, small smile creeping across her face.

"I think the question should be the other way around." Pink-haired responds with a grin. "Anyway, since you and Hicchan are the new around here, me and Shicchan will guide you around!"

Hicchan? I give a small look at Hisao who also doesn't have the slightest idea what's up with those two.

"Uh... Thanks, I guess." I reply after a while, scratching the back of my head. This is also signed to "Shicchan" who only adjusts her glasses and gives a sly smile before signing back.

"Shicchan says this is the most basic duty of a class representative." The pink-haired gal says, still grinning. Suddenly, she bursts into laughter for no apparent reason. "I'm Misha and this is Shizune." I've noticed that she keeps signing almost subconsciously, likely so Shizune can understand what's going on.

"Pleased to meet you two, Misha-san, Shizune-san." I respond, making a small bow. The pink-haired girl seems slightly surprised that she drops the signing.

"Oh, there's no need for honorifics, Caschan." She responds, regaining her attitude and smiling again. "Everyone in Yamaku is on first name basis. Other students, that is."

...Wait. How did she call me?

"Caschan...?" I find myself repeating.

"Well, duh." She playfully sticks her tongue at me, going back to signing. "Just like Hisao is Hicchan, you will be Caschan."

What.

"Well, anyway..." To be honest, I'm a little lost whether it's Misha who says things or is she just interpreting Shizune while keeping her own bubbly attitude. That's kind of confusing and I can see that Hisao is at loss as well. "Will you go with us for lunch?" I suppose they're just doing their – or should I say, Shizune's – class rep duty, being sociable with everyone. "Hicchan will be with us as well!" She adds, as if this would actually change my mind.

"Sure... Not a problem." I reply after a while. "So, Misha..." For a moment I decide to ask about a name, as it definitely doesn't sound Japanese, but then I decide against it. Probably that wouldn't be a good way to start a chat. "You're Shizune's interpreter?" Of course, that's asking about the obvious, but I suppose that's as good as it gets for the time being.

"Yup!" She responds with her usual grin, before bursting into another laughter. Huh. She definitely has ADHD.

Well, I suppose this is a good start though, I must admit, my thoughts still dart back to that girl with a fringe. Eh, you worry too much. She's likely very shy or secretive. There are people like that.

For the time being, I suppose I'll find myself content with those three as my companionship during lunch(even though Hisao looks as confused as I am right now).

* * *

**I originally thought to make this longer, but I suppose this will suffice as well. :) Anyway, hope you liked it. Read and review. Make my soul happy. See you in next chapter. **


	2. Act 1, Part 1: Ups and Downs

**Motivated by getting such a fast review, here comes the next chapter. Hope you'll enjoy it.**

* * *

I'm positively surprised by the amount of food in cafeteria. I'm not too picky, but having something to choose from is a great thing. Hisao doesn't seem all that pleased though and that's when the realization hits me that most of this stuff is likely to be here so certain students can peacefully eat their lunch. Something for people with diabetes, for example. That being said, I'm quite pleased with the outcome.

The fact that we have to carry girls' lunch is just a minor inconvenience.

We all sit, Misha and Shizune on one side, me and Hisao – on the other.

"Well, chow time!" Pink-haired girl says with a grin, starting to indulging herself with sweet bread. She didn't sign it, but the fact she just said "enjoy your meal" is blatantly obvious, so Shizune only nods and gets to work with her bowl of ramen.

It must be confessed, I've never tried much of Japanese food. Back when I was living in Tokyo, I rarely went outside to eat, preferring to just go back home and have some chops with potatoes. Like mentioned, I'm not picky.

Now, however, there was a bowl of ramen before my eyes. The one thing I had was a pair of chopsticks. How the hell do I even eat a soup with chopsticks? I've been practicing how to grab them and hold them firmly, but when I observe both Shizune and Hisao, I start to think how inexperienced I am in this matter.

Okay, that shouldn't be that difficult. I just need to remind myself of that one "Naruto" episode I watched before I decided that watching an idiot of a ninja in an orange jumpsuit is an insult to my spare time... You get everything from the soup with chopsticks... Then drink the soup straight from the bowl...

"Huh? Something's wrong, Caschan?" Misha's voice catches me off guard. I look back at her and, much to my surprise, realize that she looks genuinely worried. Perhaps even she cannot keep a smile on face forever.

"Uh... It's nothing." I usually tend to have a pretty good poker face when lying, but the fact that I lie about something as feeble as ramen soup makes my eyes dart sidewards, making for a very phony impression.

"You most certainly don't look okay." She responds. The fact that she's worried piques Shizune's interest who now looks at me from beneath her own bowl. Hisao didn't help matters, stopping with his own bowl and giving me a slightly surprised look. Great, just great. The fact that only one part of my face can blush with embarrassment doesn't make it any better.

"I... Uh..." Should I really say that I have no idea how to eat this thing? Bluff? I could also just say I'm not hungry for whatever reason, but that would mean I need to endure the whole class without food.

That's a thought too terrible to even consider.

"...I've never eaten ramen before." It takes me a while to say it. Misha's reaction says everything. She's so genuinely surprised she cannot even muster a grin. "I've no idea how to hold chopsticks properly. Pretty silly of me, don't you think?"

"Hey, that's not a problem!" She finally responds, but not before signing everything to Shizune. She doesn't seem even as half surprised as her friend is, but the glint of mockery in her eyes hurts. Well, I suppose I well deserved it. "I can teach you." Her straightforward response catches both me and Hisao(who has been awfully quiet for some time) off guard.

"...You what?" I finally respond. An important note, Misha's voice is incredibly loud.

"Like I said, I can teach you how to hold chopsticks. That's not that difficult actually." Her honest grin actually makes me feel worse. I'm not a little kid to need help with eating. Japan and its lack of normal cutlery is still something I cannot fully understand. "How about from tomorrow? Catch me after school." That wasn't even a proposition. That was an order, albeit a one carefully hid. The fact that she keeps on signing the whole conversation and Shizune keeps smiling mockingly doesn't help matters.

"But now! We need to feed you!" Okay... This is getting ridiculous. Girl with glasses doesn't even try to hide her silent chuckle as she sees another signs of Misha.

"...Thanks, but no thanks." I finally reply, shaking my head. I feel like an idiot for even bringing this up. Hisao seems to be conflicted on his emotions right now. Not sure if he's jealous, amused or as dumbfounded as myself.

I'm so grateful it's so loud in the cafeteria. No one pays attention to our table, because if they were... Hoo boy, I would arrange a spontaneous combustion from embarrassment.

Pink-haired girl leans a little towards me, grabbing my chopsticks and fishing out a large piece of meat before turning it in my direction. She makes it look so easy... I suppose I would pay more attention if I wouldn't try to hide how shamefaced I am right now.

"Okay, here's the first train! Choo choo!" Shizune starts openly giggling like crazy. I'm so grateful right now that she's mute.

* * *

Misha has good intentions, but, boy, I feel like everyone is now watching me. Just a few hours ago that didn't seem like a big deal, but now... I could as well be the girl with a fringe, scurrying away from everyone. Hisao pointed out later that there are some benefits from being fed by a cute girl so fast as on day one in school. It took me some strong will to not punch him in the face.

After finishing the lunch it was still some time left, so both girls showed us around the school. All floors look the same. They even have the same painting on the wall. Everything here seems so modern, so... sterile. That's definitely a stark contrast between the outside look of the Academy.

From both of us learned, the school has a rather large library, a swimming pool and a vast array of clubs to pick from. Newspaper club, literature club, art club, sports club... Especially the first two seem interesting. Shizune mentioned – through Misha, of course – that joining the club isn't compulsory, but is encouraged. Well, I suppose it's always something to do after school. Sure, I have my laptop, but sometimes you just don't have enough creative vein to write and net connection here is shaky at best.

We made a quick trip around and made it to the class just as lunch break was about to end. Interestingly, a girl with a fringe is absent even for a short while after a bell. Just as Mutou starts his spiel, she makes a hasty entrance. Our teacher doesn't seem to pay mind to this as she makes her entrance. Nobody pays her attention, save for me and Hisao. Weird. Seems like this is something she does on regular basis.

The lesson goes on and on... I'm starting to think Mutou likes to talk much. Oh well. It would suck to get caught on not paying attention so early, so I need to at least write down essential things. Hisao does the same. It's funny how many things we do in exactly the same way. I suppose it has something to do with us being here for the first time.

Finally... The bell rings! Yes! About time, the lesson's over. And again, the girl with a fringe disappears just a few second later. Before I can even stand up, Misha's behind me, grinning. Shizune does the same with Hisao and, well... Judging from his expression, he really had enough of their company for today. Can't blame him, I start to get fed off as well.

"...Can I help you?" I ask, slowly turning a stare at her. She's still smiling before erupting into another laughter. I swear, what is it that she finds so funny? What's her secret? Come on, girl, share it with us. You know how many kids in Africa could smile again?

Ugh. Bitter and cynical even for my own tastes.

"I just wanted to tell you where you can find me tomorrow for our practice." For some reason that sounds somewhat wrong. Perhaps it's just me being a male.

"Sure, go ahead."

"On next lunch break I'll tell you where the room of Student Council is. That's the place." She says with a smile. She... Ugh. I think I had enough smiles for today.

"Okay... Uh, thanks, Misha."

"Don't mention it. Me and Shicchan are here to help you." She responds, giggling and as she turns to leave, the realization hits me that I could possibly ask her about that fringe girl.

"Oh, right!" I say out loud. A little too loud for my own tastes, but that's enough to pick pink-haired girl's interest.

"Huh? Something else you need to know?"

"Yeah. Who's that girl with a fringe?" Surprisingly, Misha's smile drops a little. In the meantime, Hisao tries to figure out how to communicate with Shizune without her interpreter's help. So far, his choppy attempt to sign back has been met with a large frown. That's... kind of amusing. I can see him being on the verge of giving up and grabbing a pen and paper instead.

"You probably mean Hanako." Misha's voice snaps me out of thought. Her smile is still somewhat smaller than usual. Pink-haired girl gives a look at Shizune and Hisao before getting a bit closer and lowering her volume. Dunno why she does it, considering that the girl with glasses is completely deaf, but I suppose I shouldn't complain. "She's, uh... She's very secretive." Thanks for stating the obvious, Sherlock. "Nobody really knows her that much, apart from Lilly... But, uh, well... She and Shicchan aren't on good terms." As if I could believe Shizune can be on good terms with someone not named Misha.

"You know, it's kinda suspicious when she darts out of classroom so fast. Not to mention, that moment when she just walked out into class good ten minutes after a bell and Mutou didn't even bother to look at her..."

"That's... somewhat common here. You've probably noticed that nobody pays attention to that, Caschan."

"Yeah, I did."

"Uh... I asked teacher about it once and he mentioned something about special needs, but didn't develop the topic any further." Huh. I suppose those scars probably need some treatment. Well, that's probably more than I needed to know.

"Thanks for an answer."

"No problem." Hm. Her wide smile returned, but there's an air of uncertainty about her. Makes me wonder who that Lilly person is who apparently is able to talk to Hanako without scaring her...

* * *

Me and Hisao went to boys' dorms to get our things unpacked. Turns out this part of a dorm is pretty much empty: Apart from us, there's only one other guy in here. Strange. Haven't got an opportunity to meet our co-locator yet so for the time being I'll just get things done.

The room I'm situated in isn't exceptionally big. Its furniture consists of things absolutely necessary and nothing else apart from that: A bed, a wardrobe, a desk with a chair and a lamp, a bedside cabinet... And a large pile of majority of my things, packed neatly in few bags. From what I've seen so far, a school uniform is obligatory. Eh. If there's a thing I miss from European schools, then it would be an absolute freedom in your clothing, so long as it fits ethics and good taste. Here, however, I need to familiarize myself with one set of clothing. Boy's uniform consists of a green jacket, white shirt, black necktie to go with it and green pants. From what I saw though, wearing a jacket isn't obligatory. Well, at least there's that. I'll try to get around wearing a necktie as well. I don't like neckties. They're not only complicated to knot, but also don't look all that great. It's just as you just had... something dangling down your neck. Not exactly the most pleasant of feelings.

Well, time to unpack stuff anyway. Exercise books go here, schoolbooks go here, my personal notebook... Here. Now, laptop with those few games I took with myself, here. Pens, here. Posters... I think I'll hang them sometime later. All in all, organizing myself doesn't take that much time as I expected it to be.

Alright... Checking TV Tropes may wait for now. That's when I got reminded about something Mutou said to both me and Hisao earlier on, when we first met him. Something about meeting a school nurse... I suppose local medical staff needs to make a check on me. Knowing my condition, I'd likely get some gel to place on the other part of my face to make it regenerate or something...

I can only hope there won't be a mention of my... other problems.

I exit the room just to see Hisao discussing with our neighbor, a black-haired guy with extremely thick glasses. Judging from Nakai's reactions, he'd love to exit the conversation while not sounding like a complete ass.

"Oi, Hisao." I call him. He turns and I can see he's helluva grateful. A pleasure's all mine.

"Huh? Who's there?" The guy with glasses asks with a threatening tone.

"I'm your other hallmate, mate. Casper Stratoavis, a pleasure." He almost immediately lights up.

"Another guy in here? Awesome!" Heh. Since our appearance here, this poor sap had likely lived on his own.

"Always here to help, mate. I didn't catch your name though."

"Kenji Setou. Pleased to meet ya, man." He almost throws his hand at me. A little awkwardly, I shake hands with him.

"I'd love to stay and chat, Kenji, but... Uh, me and Hisao need to visit a nurse." I say. Nakai very silently sighs with relief, but I can see that he didn't think about such an idea.

"Oh, right. Yeah, that's an important stuff. Just watch out for feminists on your way there, man." Kenji warns me and this kind of warning catches me a bit unprepared. Feminists? Interesting. "Anyway, catch ya later, dudes." He gives us a nod and returns to his room before locking it on... holy shit, that's a lot of locks. I exchange looks with Hisao.

"How is he...?" I dare to ask. If my partner in conversation's face says truth, I suppose it didn't go well.

"...Weird." He responds after a moment of looking out an appropriate word. I only nod.

"He gives off strange vibes, but seems like a nice guy. Maybe a little... paranoid, considering that warning, but a nice guy."

"I'm not the one to judge." Hisao shrugs. "Anyway, shouldn't we be off to nurse for check-up?"

"Most certainly, mate." I respond with a nod. "...Do we know the way?" A long moment of silence makes me realize that neither of us had paid any real attention to Mutou's initial lecture. Well, crap. "Gotta ask someone for direction." I murmur after a while and Nakai only absentmindedly nods. Hope there's no particular time we were supposed to meet with the nurse.

As we exit the boys' dorms, someone bumps into Hisao and knocks him over. Actually, "bumps" isn't the most appropriate word, considering how he almost got bowled over a meter or so. The perpetrator of this, a short girl with pigtails and, surprisingly, a sports uniform, stands up quickly, incredibly abashed. It took me a while to notice that she has prosthetic legs, just like the Indian girl in our class. Those, however, seem less... humane in their appearance. I suppose those are more fit for running.

Dammit, Casper, stop staring at them like that.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaims very quickly, offering Hisao a hand. He, however, doesn't get up... His eyes are all wide. He seems to be in pain, clutching his chest... Clutching his chest?

Fuck.

"Where's the nurse's office?" I ask sharply.

"I've just came in from here." She responds. She seems pretty observant as she notices something's off with Hisao. Well, that shouldn't be hard to notice, given how hard he tries to not scream. "Nurse had sent me to look for Hisao Nakai and Casper Strat-tra..."

"Well, you quite literally hit the bullseye." I cut her off, not even paying attention to the fact she can't spell my last name. "Help me out with him." He seems as if he was about to vomit everything from esophagus to bowel. We slowly help him stand up and take under each arm. "Lead the way." I say to her and she only nods before the three of us depart to nurse's office.

* * *

**Wow, didn't take me that long to come up with another chapter. Here you go. Read and review as always. :)**


	3. Act 1, Part 2: The Cute and The Shy

**I'm on a roll. :3 Let's go further, shall we?**

* * *

Somewhere around halfway to the nurse's office, Hisao was able to walk on his own without my or the pigtails girl's help. That being said, he was still extremely pale and didn't look any better despite his weak statements that he's perfectly fine. We've finally made it to nurse's office though and, thankfully, not a single problem was encountered on our way.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked him one more time. He nodded weakly in response. To be honest... That wasn't especially convincing. The girl raps her knuckles against the door of an office. We wait for a while before the door opens up, revealing a young man with short hair and closed eyes. He opens up the left one and I can see his eyes are blue.

"About time you two showed up." He says with a wide smile. I can't help but think about Misha's constant grin. "Thanks a bunch, Emi."

"Not a problem, Nurse." The girl with pigtails smiles slightly.

"Alright, let's go alphabetically with it. Hisao, if you please." He makes an inviting gesture, allowing Nakai to go inside.

There's a longer moment of silence between the two of us.

"Thanks for helping me out here." I finally say, trying to strike the conversation. "If it weren't for you, I doubt I could help him out just on my own."

"You're both welcome." Emi responds with a smile. My Misha-esque sense is tingling. Again. What's with all those people around? So far, of all people I talked to – discounting Hisao and Mutou – only Kenji and Shizune didn't have a perpetual smile crept across their faces. That's sort of unsettling. Perhaps that's one way to deal with your disability. Shut it out of your mind and pretend you're perfectly normal. "Though, to be honest, that looked crappy." She adds, looking a little worried. I nod. Yes, that indeed looked bad. Makes me think Hisao has some sort of a heart condition. That must suck big time for him. "And it's my fault too."

"Well, nothing long-lasting happened, I think." I respond, seeing as she really looks down because of it. "It was just an unfortunate accident." Now that I think of it, no one but Hanako and Hisao seemed very interested with my own injury. I'm glad that's the case, to be honest. "So, uh... I din't think I got your name."

"Emi Ibarazaki." She responds with a grin. She's similar to Misha alright, but her smile seems less obnoxious. Maybe it's the case of her being so moe. Short, with pigtails and... Gah! The worse part of your otakuness starts to kick in.

"Casper Stratoavis. A pleasure to meet you." I respond, tipping the hat. The fact that I wouldn't be able to wear it from tomorrow makes me cringe a little. Of course, I could, but I doubt it will go well with white-and-green uniform, being all black. "A runner, aren't you?"

"Yup." She says with a smile. "I'm a part of track and field club. The best runner out there."

"And definitely the most modest out there." I reply with slight sarcasm.

"Hey, that was mean." She says with a pout, but I can see she doesn't look all that angry. I was about to ask about the prosthesis, but I decided against it. I dunno, this would probably be too much for someone you see for the first time.

"Sorry." I respond absentmindedly. Emi smiles slightly.

"That's not a problem." She responds. "So, you two are the new guys in here?"

"Yes, that would be correct. Today is our first day in here."

"That would explain why you're still not in uniforms." I cannot hide the groan. "What?" She seems surprised.

"I don't like uniforms..." I respond after a while, making a small shrug. "Not very comfortable with ties."

"Oh. I see." It's pretty obvious that we have problems with carrying on this conversation. She's from track and field club, for crying out loud. I cannot even run one kilometer before tiring myself out. At steady pace. There's one thing though that I can consider a physical exercise that I'm not pathetic at.

Bicycle.

"So... Any sports you're doing?" She has good intentions, but it's getting harder for her to build the conversation as well.

"I'm an amateur bicyclist." I respond just as the image of my new folding bike appears in my head. Since I couldn't take my good ol' mountain bike with me, my parents decided to provide me with a new machine to move on. My new folding bike had some errors I needed to live with though, most notably a lack of its rear brake. There were at least three cases of me getting somersaulted over the handlebar. Not pretty, considering my new face hurts like hell when you so much as touch it with a little more force.

"Oh..." Seems I piqued her interest a little. "Have any clubs you're going to join?"

"Maybe a literature club. The newspaper one seems pretty interesting as well." Seeing as this isn't the answer that pleased her, I make a small shrug. "I'm not too much of a sportsperson. Maybe Hisao will, but given his condition..." Because I'm pretty sure you just can't have a prosthetic heart to go with.

"I'm pretty sure he just needs to watch for himself." Emi responded in deep thought. "Well, anyway, the coach is probably pretty pissed off at me for being out for so long. Catch you later!" She smiles before departing. The loud clicks of her artificial legs can be heard from a mile away.

Since it seems Hisao's checkup will take a while, I decide to give myself to music. I pull out my MP4 player and absentmindedly search for a track to reflect my surprisingly good mood today. Hm. "Spanish Flea" will do the trick. It was hard to achieve, but I've managed to got myself a ten minute long version. Considering how awesome this song is and how the original lasts only two minutes or so... It's a shame that the loss of my right ear cost me that much of a sound... Oh well. At least I'm not completely deaf like, say, Shizune. Now that I think about it, it must suck to be in a world where you can't hear a thing.

I'm on my fourth loop when Hisao finally comes out of the infirmary. He definitely looks better than when I last saw him.

"Now... Casper Stratoavis, was it? Come in." Nurse gives me an inviting gesture and a smile. I swear... If I had a nickel for every person that smiled to me today...

Much to my delight, my visit was fairly short. The nurse proved to be an affable guy, even if his sense of humor is hilariously bad. I got a gel to put on the other part of my face once a day before sleep. Hm. That shouldn't be a problem. It probably won't repair my ear and eye, but I could at least look a little bit more normal. I'm about to leave when nurse suddenly stops me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Oh... Right, I almost forgot about it." He says with an apologizing smile. I'd rather you really forgotten it. "There's a matter of your... mental condition." I don't respond, letting him do the talking. The smile drops a little. "I didn't get the full review of the case, so if you'd be so kind to provide me with information about it, I'd appreciate it."

"What do you need to know?" I reply with a question, giving him a glare. I really hoped he wouldn't have mention it.

"When does it kick in?"

"Hm." Actually, that's a good question. "I suppose it's a matter of heavy emotional shock. Immense physical pain, especially the one regarding my face, could also possibly make him awaken." He starts smiling widely again.

"Well, if that's the case, I hope no-one will break your heart anytime soon." Considering Hisao is just next door, I find the joke to be... slightly disturbing. "If you're in need of a help though..." His smile drops again. "A counselor is available on the last floor. Just so you know."

"Thanks... So, are we done?"

"Oh yes, we're done." He nods enthusiastically. "If you need anything, call us straight away. There will always be someone in here to help you out." 24/7 medical staff? Okay... I suppose that this being a school for people with disabilities, such a service is necessary.

Hisao awaits me just before the infirmary. Nice of him.

"Any plans for today?" He asks me. I make a small shrug.

"I suppose I'll check the library for now..." I respond. "Checking those clubs... I think I'll leave that for tomorrow."

"Oh? I was about to go to library too." Well, what a coincidence.

"Well, no time to waste. Oh, right... You sure you're okay?" I ask him. His slight smile disappears, replaced with a frown.

"Yeah... It wasn't pleasant, but I'm good." He responds after a while.

"Hm. That Emi girl suggested you might be interested in taking look at track and field club." I mention offhandedly.

"Huh. I suppose I can give it a try... I'm not in the best of conditions right now though." I bite my tongue just as I'm about to ask about his heart condition. "Besides... I don't think Shizune and Misha will let me go."

"Huh?"

"They want me to be in Student Council." I nod slowly, thankful that they didn't ask me about it. Being a class rep is already too much for me to bear. Being a representative of all students would be nothing short of a suicide. I'm not even responsible enough to clean up the room every week or so.

Well... My old room, that is. I quickly bat the bad thought away.

"Good luck with that." I say to him. He gives a slight smile, but I can most definitely see he doesn't like the prospect of being Shizune's lackey.

* * *

Took us some time to find the library, but here we are. The place is huge and that's a welcome thing. I've always liked reading, but dropped it off at some point to be more online. Well, now that web connection here is so uncertain, I hope I can get back to that.

Surprisingly, there's no librarian in here... No one to show us around.

"Hello?" Hisao says. It is then that we hear a loud THUD! somewhere from beneath the counter, complete with a silent whimper of pain. A second later, a girl – she can't be much older than us – with glasses, red hair and definitely embarrassed expression perks up from under the counter.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you coming!" She is quick to apologize.

"That's not a problem, Miss." Hisao responds, looking slightly perplexed.

"I take you're the librarian?" I ask her. She nods enthusiastically, albeit it didn't entirely cover her widened eyes. I suppose not everyone is as resistant to this.

"Yes, that would be me. My name is Yuuko Shirakawa."

"Hisao Nakai." Hisao introduces himself, giving a small bow.

"Casper Stratoavis." I follow the suit, tipping my hat. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Shirakawa-san."

"Oh, just call me Yuuko." Huh. What's that with people being so informal? That's... so not Japan-like. "Anyway, since you're new here, I take you need a small trip around?"

"That would be nice." Hisao says, nodding. The librarian smiled.

"Well, follow me then." She responds brightly.

Turns out, this library is even bigger than I expected it to be. Wow. I'm not even all that interested in what Yuuko says – something mentioning that library consists also of books written by Braille and audios – instead looking at titles of books laying peacefully on shelves. Most of those are in Japanese, though I caught a few English titles as well.

I'm not gonna lie, my Japanese still needs to be polished. By comparison, my English is probably the best known language to me. Even my native languages, German and Polish, started to get a little rusty, what with no one to talk about anything in those.

I continue to absentmindedly look at all those bookshelves before two beanbags catch my attention. They look like a nice place to sit and enjoy a book. Interestingly, one of them is taken by Hanako. The girl with a fringe is reading a book and judging from how intently her eyes dart through the content, she probably hadn't notice us. If the title of the book is anything to go by, this is some sort of a romance. Hm.

Something tells me to go and apologize her. For what? For startling her? She looked like so much as looking at her funny could send her into panic. Still... I gave a quick look to my cellphone. It was still some time before sunset. I suppose I could sit here for a while. Snatch some fantasy bo...

…

Holy shit, is that Sapkowski's "Last Wish"? In Japanese? I snatch it almost instantly. Oh boy, I hit the bullseye. Along those there's a vast number of fantasy novels here and there, mostly from American authors, though I caught one Japanese surname. I got three books for starters. Should be sufficient for now. Hisao, however, takes a different approach and quickly collects a stockpile of books to read. Yuuko seems pretty surprised.

"I developed a habit of reading." Hisao replies, making a weak shrug. "I didn't really had anything other to do in the hospital during my recuperation." He adds, providing an explanation. After all the formalities, Hisao's about to leave the library, presumably to drop it all in the dorm and begin reading.

"You're not going?" He asks me. I shake my head in response.

"I think I'll stay here for a while. The atmosphere's nice." It didn't escape me that Yuuko beamed slightly. A pleasure to serve as always.

"Sure thing. See you later." And with that, we part ways. I decide to go back to the unoccupied beanbag. Hanako's still here, reading. Hm. How to make a good second impression? The first one didn't really go well, considering she just turned away her stare and didn't say even a single word.

"Um... 'Scuse me..." I start. She looks at me and almost immediately hides her face behind the book. While her fringe does a good job at covering her face from a distance, it didn't mask the faint shape of a burn scar.

Holy shit, how big that thing could possibly be?

"Uh... Sorry for scaring you earlier morning." I say, trying to save the already doomed conversation. "I, uh... Didn't want to startle you."

"...I-it's okay." She responds with a quiet, barely audible voice.

"Well, uh..." This is getting nowhere. "Shall I introduce myself again or...?" She nods weakly. "Casper, Casper Stratoavis. A pleasure to meet you."

"...H-Hanako Ikezawa." She responds. Of course, I already know her name, courtesy of Misha, but eh.

"...Mind if I sit here?"

"...G-go ahead." She goes back to her book. Well, that went... surprisingly good, I think. At least she talked back this time.

The next hour or so is spent on both of us reading their respective novels. She seems to be an avid reader, as from the moment I talked to her to now she seems to read through almost the whole book. Every now and then, however, I would feel her eyes looking at me, presumably at my own injury. Dunno what to make of it. Perhaps she's curious, but too shy to ask such a direct question. Can't say I blame her. I suppose most people around have a story they'd like to tell to someone, but want to be absolutely certain that the person they're talking to is a friend or at least someone they can trust. The fact that no one in here asked me about it something I consider surprisingly pleasant. It's a nice change of pace.

If her burn scars are at least up from her face to her hand then it's at least half of a body, maybe a third part. That's too much for a simple accident. It had to be something big. Maybe she was in a fire...

It is then that I realize our eyes are locked in a stare. I've had to accidentally glance at her while she was doing the same. Her eyes have a purple tint to them. An awkward silence lasts for at least few seconds.

"...Can I help you?" I finally ask. She opens her mouth as if she was trying to say something, but then suddenly burns up with a massive blush and rapidly stands up.

"Ivegottodosomething!" Before I can even retort to that hasty response, she's already out of the library, holding her books closely to chest.

...What happened here?

* * *

That was most definitely an eventful day. Turns out, Hisao got ambushed by Kenji at some point and now was listening to the guy with glasses intently going about something I wasn't quite sure about. Deciding that I don't really have enough power for today to enter a wacky chatter, I decide to just shift into my room, quickly change, apply the gel and spend an hour or two trying to get some internet connection. Hm. Gotta ask someone about getting some better wi-fi here. Maybe Shizune would know.

...I'm tired. I'm tired with the perspective that this will be my new school. People are nice, even if a little weird(or, in Misha's case, very weird), but still... I will need to work on my own feeling of tact. Saying something inappropriate here may hurt much more than if I've said it my old school or anywhere else.

Gotta get used to it. It surely cannot be that bad, can it?

* * *

**I suppose there might be a small delay between this chapter and another ones now that I will have less of a free time. I'll hope to post at least one more chapter this week though, so stay tuned. Read and review as always. :)**


	4. Act 1, Part 3: New People

**Time for another chapter. It is time we introduce Lilly and Rin, don't you think?**

* * *

Alarm clock. It's from my cellphone... But where the hell did I put it? I groggily wake up, looking around. Oh, there it is. I hit the "stop" button and give a look around.

Huh. There are traces of blood on the pillow. I'd probably turned on the wrong way. It isn't anything life-threatening, but can get uncomfortable fast. The other part of my face just sort of gradually crumbles more and more when presented with everything but the lightest touch.

I still can't get it over with... The fact that I can be so fragile even if I don't want to... Eh, curses. Gotta wipe it out somehow. I think I have a spare handkerchief to use. When did the lessons start? At eight? It's... seven past five... Dammit. Most likely I've picked the wrong alarm clock. Oh well... It gives me more than enough time to get myself together and eat something at the cafeteria. And, well, considering the time, at least I won't have to make my way through the hordes of other students. Always look at the bright side of life, complete with a happy whistle tune.

Nurse said that I need to apply the gel only once a day before sleep, so I can omit this one for now. First of all, shower. I need a shower. Yesterday I just sort of fell asleep with my nose in laptop with only applying that gel, so this will be a welcome change.

I silently walk to the bathroom, trying not to wake neither Hisao nor Kenji... Though, to be honest, the latter likely has soundproof walls, considering the amount of locks to his room. Makes me wonder what the hell...

Jumping off my pajamas and putting my glasses someplace safe, I enter the shower, letting the warm water embrace me in its hug. I can feel that the carapace made of dried blood, covering the other part of my face, slowly lets go. It will regenerate, no sweat. Besides, even at the price of minor pain, it's wonderful to have my face splashed with warm water. It makes me serene. Makes me forget who am I and where am I, what is the purpose of this place and what am I even supposed to do here. That's just this kind of detachment you could like. The one where nobody bothers you with their problems and concerns, letting you be.

I used to be a loner for a long time. Agusu was my first girlfriend... But the fact that she disfigured me had some positive values to it. It learned me to be more cynical and more wary of people around me. So far, my classmates didn't prove to be hostile in any way... But who knows? You always have to be wary. There might be another Agusu in there who will somehow get attached to your ugly mug and then throw something corrosive at your good eye.

...Or is it me who's just too paranoid?

Drip drop. The sound of blood... At first those are just single droplets, but with time the red liquid starts to just run down in line, creating a small pool. Most of it is washed away, but some will most likely stay. Gotta wipe it out as well. Don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. My other half of the face is covered in fresh, salty blood.

I absentmindedly exit the shower, put the towel around my waist to not offend whatever poor soul could possibly get up at this barbaric hour and head to the room to dress myself into uniform. Discarding the green jacket, I come out of the room, wearing a white shirt and those green pants, complete with my glasses, a necktie slung over the neck rather than tied under collar and black boots.

Gotta ask for a monocle. Sure, it may look ridiculous, but it will certainly be easier for me to get a hold of it. Not to mention, I can look even more hipster... Oh God, am I seriously thinking about that?

* * *

The cafeteria is, as expected, devoid of life. I've noticed only one person in there, that fat guy from my class. Currently he was stuffing himself with something. After ordering something to eat that will not require chopsticks to use – much to my surprise they had casseroles here, so I picked one – I took a sit on the opposite side of my classmate's table. He gives me a friendly look.

"Sup?" He greets. Well, he seems like a nice guy, even if a little... sordid at times. The fact that I've noticed so much as three hot dogs on his plate was only making it worse. "You're that new guy? Pleased to meet ya. Taro Arai." He extended a hand for a shake. Quite surprisingly, it was free of any sticky things that could come out from a hot dog, so it wasn't a problem for me to return the gesture. It was then that I've noticed that he did so using his... left hand?

Arai catches my surprised glance.

"Monoplegia." He explains with a shrug. "My right arm ain't moving anytime soon."

"Oh... Sorry to hear that."

"Eh, I'm used to that." Taro starts stuffing himself with a second hot dog. "And you? Stratoavis, was it?"

"Casper will suffice. As for your question... Sulfuric acid."

"Ouch. That's gotta hurt."

"You bet it did." I give a small smile which, judging from the fact that Arai stopped eating for a while, proves to be a little unsettling. "Heck, it's not that bad though."

"That's some nasty stuff, man." He responds with hesitation. "Someone did it to ya or...?"

"An ex-girlfriend. Yandere." He seems dumbfounded.

"Oh... Uh, sorry to hear that, man."

"I got over it. No sweat." I reply, this time not allowing myself a smile. "To be honest, I only miss one eye and one ear while the other part of me hurts like a bitch. Comparing to... other people..."

"Huh? You mean someone in particular?" ...Heck, I don't even know that guy. He's a classmate, but that's a first time we have a talk. Despite that, I start to carry on, mentioning Shizune, the Indian girl, the girl with one hand, Emi and Hanako. Arai's a dutiful listener or at least he pretends to listen. Nice of him. It has just hit me that all people I mentioned are female.

Weird.

"What can I say?" He asks, starting on the third hot dog. How the hell does he do that? I'm just in a middle of my own casserole. "Shit happens." Yeah. That was so insightful. I'm about to retort with some snide remark when I suddenly hear something like... tapping? Hm. Someone seems to tap a cane around. A blind person? I give a look towards the entrance and... gasp.

This is definitely what a female version of Archangel Gabriel would look like. The girl who has just entered the cafeteria is surprisingly tall for a Japanese, but the blond hair makes me think she may be of mixed heritage like me. She has a bow in those which only adheres to her beauty. To top it all off, the eyes... Oh, the eyes every guy(or maybe even some gals) could drown into, big and blue... And yet, she was tapping the floor with her cane. Blind.

Fate can be so cruel sometimes. This angel will never see how beautiful she is.

"Hello?" She asks with a delicate, refined voice and, oh my God, I can almost feel myself rushing to her and aiding her. Then, I snap back to the real world.

"Do you need any help, Miss?" I ask, giving a slight glance at Taro. He's finishing up his breakfast. The blonde girl lights up slightly, hearing my voice... Though it probably the fact that there's a voice in general.

Not being able to hear and talk like Shizune seems bad... But I'm not sure if not being able to see isn't worse.

"Oh no, I'm fine." She responds, slowly moving towards us. Seems she's pretty acknowledged with the layout of cafeteria as she doesn't trip, bump into any of tables, slowly moving towards us. Well, towards me, now that Arai vanished without a trace. How did he do it anyway? "Will it be a problem if I sit here?"

"Not at all, Miss." She sits just where Taro was sitting a moment ago. She retracts her cane – oh, nifty – and places it someplace safe. "Didn't expect anyone to show up here that early."

"I'm something of a morning person." She says with a smile.

"Oh, right, I didn't introduce myself. Where are my manners..." I manage an awkward chuckle before clearing my throat. To be honest, I'm at least partially grateful that she cannot see a guy in front of her. She seems like a delicate person. "Casper Stratoavis. I'm one of the new students."

"Hanako had told me about you." Hanako? Wait, that would imply the person sitting before my eyes is... "Lilly Satou."

"A pleasure's all mine, Satou-san." She giggles quietly.

"Please, there's no need for formal language. Call me Lilly instead."

"If you insist." For the love of... I've finally met a person who seems refined enough and even she drops the honorifics. I've never seen it in any other school... "Uh... You mentioned that Ike-I mean, Hanako mentioned me..."

"Oh yes." She nods. "She seemed a little... startled when she was describing your meeting." Oh. So she knows about...?

"Startled...?" I find myself repeating. Lilly nods once more.

"Don't worry though. This has nothing to do with your appearance. Hisao also startled her." Oh... So she really is that shy.

"I don't recall him and her meeting."

"They bumped into each other at the lunch break yesterday." She explains, very carefully fishing out a piece of meat out of her bowl of ramen.

Wait a minute, when did she even get that?

"Oh... I see." And that's when I realize what kind of faux pas I've just committed. "I mean... I'm sorry." Lilly seems to take that pretty lightly though as she only chuckles heartily.

"I'm perfectly fine with figures of speech, Casper." She responds with a smile. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

"If you say so, Lilly..." I think I may as well ask her the question. "May I ask something?"

"Go ahead."

"You're not fully Japanese, are you?" She nods.

"Indeed. I'm part Scottish. How did you tell?"

"The hair. It didn't look like it was bleached and Japanese are unlikely to have fair hair. Just before you ask, my girlfrie-" I cut myself off, cursing my long tongue. Thankfully, Lilly doesn't push the matter. How very refined of her.

"I see." And that's when it hits me.

"_Do you speak English?_" I ask in said language. She seems slightly surprised, but responds just a few seconds later.

"_Yes. Quite fluently." _ Huh. There was some accent in her voice that I couldn't exactly pinpoint. Thankfully, she seems to talk using RP rather than Scottish accent.

"_Perhaps this is a... a weird request, but can we... talk with English for a while?" _The blonde girl before my eyes smiles slightly.

"_Of course."_

* * *

For some reason, Shizune seems pretty peeved. Not really sure why. For now I need to listen to Mutou's lecture and write notes. The material to remember isn't especially difficult, so it shouldn't be a problem, but you'd never know. When I was younger, forfeiting to make notes quite often was biting me in the ass like a rottweiler. Hanako does so as well and so does Hisao. All in all, the class is pretty silent today. Not sure what to make of it.

When a bell signing the lunch break rings, I can almost immediately find myself surrounded by Misha and Shizune. She's still pissed off for some reason, but doesn't show it as much as she did in the morning.

"Can I help you...?" I ask. Pink-haired girl bursts into her trademark "WAHAHAHA" laughter. I swear, I'll start killing toddlers to regain my sanity.

"Well, of course you can, Caschan." A slight hope in Hanako is lost when I discover the chair next to me is empty. "After all, I need to tell you where the Student Council room is so you can get some proper chopsticks holding lessons." Shizune gives me an amused stare. Yeah, she will be mocking me for a long time because of this.

"Hurray." I manage to utter. Hisao has left already as well. Perhaps he headed to check out clubs or go to library. Now that I think about it, Hanako's most likely to be there...

"Hello! Earth to Caschan!" Misha's voice snaps me out of thought. "And as me and Shicchan were saying, there's a small surprise to all of it." ...I suddenly don't like where this is going.

"A surprise? What kind of surprise?" I ask flatly.

"Oh, you'll see..." The slight teasing factor in Misha's voice doesn't help matters.

"Fine. I suppose I'm your slave for this lunch break." I respond, desperately trying to look optimistic. Both Shizune and Misha frown which cannot be a good sign.

"How mean of you." That's definitely the class rep speaking through the drill girl. The drill girl. Oh God, that sounds all kinds of wrong. "We're not forcing you to anything. You're doing this to us because we're friends, right?" Misha shoots me a smile of a cutie.

...Thank goodness I don't have diabetes or any heart disabilities. Still, her statement surprises me a little. Friends? We know each other so much as two days.

"Friends...? That's... That's nice of you two." I'm truly perplexed.

"Well, duh!" She says before bursting into another laughter.

At the cafeteria, the crowds are as lively as ever. This time, Hisao's not with us, leaving me at the mercy of two female predators. Oh well. They seem friendly, but who knows if they won't try to rip my throat out the moment I say something unfunny.

The lunch time goes pretty fast, with us idly chatting about things, or rather me and Misha chatting while the latter translates everything for Shizune. As it turns out – rather unsurprisingly, if you ask me – Misha's the big fan of J-pop and K-pop. When asked about my musical tastes, there was a longer moment of silence from my side.

"A bit of everything." I decide to settle for a neutral answer. "Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Chopin, European Metal... Scatman John... Suilen as well."

"Tchai-Tcha..." Pink-haired girl has apparent trouble spelling the surname correctly.

"Tchaikovsky."

"Tchaiko..." Huh. Seeing as Misha's out of commission, I decide to just scribble it down on a sheet of paper. Shizune takes it and nods with understanding. I suppose she's heard about him... Wait. She looks at me, slightly perplexed, seeing as I reconsider my inner monologue. Another faux pas. Thankfully my "interlocutor" cannot hear my thoughts. Meanwhile, Misha's still struggling to spell the composer's last name. Suddenly, a vile thought creeps to my mind. Why not having some fun at her expense?

"Hey, Misha..." I start, trying to sound as casual as possible. She looks at me absentmindedly.

"What is it, Caschan?"

"I'm betting one hundred yen that you will be unable to properly spell another word I'll say." Shizune, after "hearing" my words gives me a cautious look and signs back. Misha's smile drops a little, but suddenly comes back in a full grin.

"Don't worry, Shicchan, I'll be fine!" She responds before turning to me. "Alright, Caschan. Shoot." Here's where the funny part comes.

"Brzęczyszczykiewicz." A long, long silence. The fact that Misha's smile deflates into expression that screams "holy shit" is just priceless. Shizune shoots me another inquisitive look, so I decide to satiate her curiosity and write down the word in question on paper. Her eyes slowly go wide as she tries to decipher my bad handwriting. The next look she shoots me is of pure shock.

"B..." Misha's stuck so far as on the first letter. I cannot help but feel a triumphant half-smile when suddenly my silent celebration is interrupted by one word.

"Brzęczyszczykiewicz." Huh? I crack open the good eye and I can see a short-haired and red-haired girl in, surprisingly, boys' uniform, shooting me a look.

Even more surprisingly, she lacks arms.

"'Scuse me...?" I ask bluntly, too surprised at her response to glare at her unused sleeves.

"Brzęczyszczykiewicz." She responds, giving me a bemused glare. "Next time try challenging someone who knows about Polish movies."

"W-what?!" Misha exclaims, taken aback. "Caschan, that's cheating!"

"We didn't even specify the rules..." I respond flatly. "You owe me 100 yen, Misha."

"Oh come on!" She pouts. Before I can go back to the strange armless girl, she's already gone. Since I'm not really that short on money, I decide to go for an alternative.

"Alright, how about that? Since you've lost, you will tell me about that strange girl." I say. Misha almost immediately perks up.

"Rin Tezuka? Sure thing, Caschan!" And so, yet another mysterious girl's name is revealed to me.

* * *

**And here is the next chapter. Stay tuned for more. Read and review, as always. **


	5. Act 1, Part 4: Changes

**Yay, another chapter. Let's not waste time.**

* * *

Hm. Seems like we'll have to work in groups. Four people in one. Seeing as Misha shoots me a playful glare, I'm more than likely to end up with them. Interestingly, Hisao's not working with them, rather associating himself with the Indian girl, the sleeping girl and the girl without one hand. It didn't come out as a surprise that Hanako works on her own, but still... That's kinda sucky, doing all the work designed for four people all by herself.

"Uh... Shizune?" I ask cautiously as Misha signs to the class rep. The girl with glasses shoots me a curious look. "Maybe we should get Hanako here? I know you're not getting along well, but this stuff looks fairly difficult for just one person." Shizune frowns before very quickly signing something to Misha.

"Uh... Caschan, Hanako has always been working alone." Pink-haired girl responds with some hesitation.

"Well, that needs to change." I frown slightly. Heck, that's unfair. I must confess, I was thinking about letting Taro join, but he seems to be occupied with that Lelouch lookalike, the guy with a beret and the guy with glasses. Misha after a short while signs back to Shizune who keeps her frown.

"You cannot just do as you please." The fact that class rep's interpreter says it so cheerfully almost makes me think she was the one to actually mean it. Almost.

"How about a favor? You let her here, I'll do something for you." A sly smile creeps across Shizune's face. This is definitely not a good sign.

"Everything...?" Misha asks with a wink.

"So far as it's reasonable." The girl with glasses thinks for a while before nodding and signing something to Misha. There's a distinct air of triumph around her, very similar to the one I used to have around back on lunch.

"Shicchan says she'll tell you what will she want you to do later, Caschan." Pink-haired girl says with a grin. "For now, however, Hanako is welcome to join us." She bursts into her usual laughter. Nobody seems to pay attention, aside from Mutou who shoots us a slightly irritated glare. I nod with some reluctance and raise myself from the sit before closing to Hanako. She seems to be struggling. Well, quite obvious, given the amount of work.

"Um... 'Scuse me..." I start, trying to not be so sudden. She shrinks a little in her chair anyway. "We were wondering if you'd like to work with us." I continue, clearing my throat at some point. Hanako gives me a surprised glare. "I mean, it's got to be hard to work on such big thing on your own, don't you think? Shizune seems like someone who knows what she's doing as well, so..." She seems conflicted, giving a slight glare at class rep who's now occupied with the assignment. "I'm pretty sure they don't bite." I try to joke, giving her a slight half-smile. She smiles slightly as well, very slightly as well.

"O-okay..." She slowly nods and stands up with her things. It takes us a while to put all the desks in a right place, complete with Mutou giving us a glare which seemed to be both disapproving and surprised. The moment Hanako sits on her chair, Misha grins at her which seems to unsettle the fringe girl a little.

"I can't believe Caschan convinced you to come here to work with us!" She says happily. "He surely can be charming when he wants to." Pink-haired girl bursts into another laughter before I can even think how will I get even on that remark. Seeing as Hanako goes cherry red, I feel a little uncomfortable, especially that I'm anything but charming.

Despite that somewhat bad start, we manage to work pretty well for the rest of the class. Shizune's the one doing the most work. That must be logical, considering that class rep in Japan is picked up by measuring the results of some test, if I'm not mistaken. Back in Germany, a class rep was always picked up via democratic voting.

Misha's of little help, but me and Hanako manage to place themselves just a bit behind Shizune's insane pace of work. The girl with a fringe had always struck me as someone smart, but also as someone not willing to show off with their knowledge. As for myself, call me vain, but History is something I consider myself pretty good at. The topic is about Hundred Years War and we're about to move to battles of Crecy and Agincourt. I always liked those two. They were the perfect image why idealistic values are so low-key. Both battles had slightly different landscapes, but the basic premise is the same. _Erstens_, English and French face each other on the battlefield. _Zweitens, _French don't even bother regarding their enemy as someone worthy their oh-so-much shining armors, swords and impressive mounts. _Drittens, _ignoring all orders imaginable, they charge forward, trampling their own troops. _Schließlich, _English decide that enough stupidity is enough and massacre incoming cavalry with their English longbows. The result is just too pretty to watch. This is war. Not just some stupid shining armor, but the pragmatism worth fighting for.

"...Caschan?" Misha's voice has some property to just kind of snap me back to reality.

"H-huh?" I reply, giving her a look. She seems slightly concerned.

"You just sort of... went off." She says in a worried tone. I'm gonna be honest, hearing Misha worried seems... kind of unnatural.

"Did I?" I can feel myself blinking. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought." For some reason, Hanako goes red and shies away. "Huh? I beg you pardon?" Misha switches her glare between me and the fringe girl before giggling quietly and leaning towards me to whisper something in my good ear.

"You kept looking at her, silly." ...Did I? I can feel the cheek burning up. Suddenly Shizune, looking as annoyed as ever, nudges Misha, apparently urging her to keep with the work.

We manage to finish the assignment as the first group. I'll admit, Shizune was the one doing the most work and she deserves some heavy props for that. I guess being a class rep really means a thing. I give a look around. Hisao's group seems to fare quite well, albeit the sleepy girl is now drooling on her desk, leaving the other three to do the work. Meanwhile, Taro's group doesn't seem not even half as good. The guy with glasses and Lelouch seem to argue about something while the guy in the beret and Arai futilely try to make them come to terms.

"Well, that went fast!" Misha says cheerfully, grinning.

"Indeed." I reply, nodding. Hanako nods as well, though she doesn't say a word.

Half an hour later, the bell rings, signalizing the end of class for today. The fringe girl almost immediately gets her things and almost runs out of the classroom... I should apologize. Then I feel someone's(most likely Misha's) hand on my shoulder. Yeah, I'm not getting away this time as well.

"Going somewhere?" Pink-haired girl asks with a grin. Right, today will be the oh-so-important lesson in chopsticks holding.

"...Thought I may apologize to her." I blurt out before biting my long tongue again. The way Misha grins is...

"Oh... Someone has fallen in love..." She teases me, still gesturing so Shizune can understand. The girl with glasses, much to my annoyance, snickers silently.

"Don't be ridiculous." I respond flatly. "I've just happened to stare at her by pure accident."

"Totally." It's obvious Misha doesn't buy my really honest statement.

Hell, it's day two! People don't fall in love with other people on a whim. I must admit though, she's very pretty despite her scars. Strange. This seems to match that one discussion about double standards on TV Tropes I once attended. The point being made was that scarred or "monstrous", say, hybrids of a human and some animal, women are still beautiful while the same cannot be said about men. Balalaika. Cassiopeia. And now, the girl known to me as Hanako Ikezawa seemed to join this group.

Still... Even if there really was something, I doubt any of us would say so. I can't help but think she actually might be even scared of me. With the fact that our injuries are so similar and that I, unlike her, don't even bother with covering my own... I suppose I am something of a big sign saying "unpleasant flashbacks here" to her.

A strong pat on the back of my head snaps me back to real life. Seems like even Misha can finally get tired of me not paying attention to what she says.

"Hey!" She shouts directly into my ear. "I swear, you're just like Suzu! You too drift off in a middle of conversation!" Both Misha and Shizune look at me, pouting. Ugh.

"That's not true." I can hear a feminine voice behind me. The owner is likely this Suzu girl. I turn around to look at her. She seems to be taller than Misha and Shizune(Interestingly, both of them have the same height), but only so slightly. She has short gray-ish hair with some blue tinge to them. The fact that she looks as if she was going to drift off to sleep anytime soon is what defines her the most though.

"You're that Two-Face guy?" She asks me, dragging the syllables noticeably. Two-Face? Well, I suppose there's some degree of similarity.

"Yeah." I respond cautiously. She shoots me an amused look for absolutely no reason and suddenly I'm reminded of Rin.

"Suzu Suzuki." She extends the hand to shake. I return the favor. "Narcoleptic." She mentions offhandedly, catching me off guard. Huh. That would explain why she seems to sleep so much on lessons.

"Oh. That must suck." I only manage to say. "Uh, well... Casper Stratoavis, Two-Faced. Also with split personalities..."

Fuck. Did I say it out loud? From the looks Misha gives me, it is most likely that I did. I can't help but to give a nervous glance around the room. Thankfully, in class there's only Suzu, Shizune and Misha herself, but still... I feel a bit uneasy at mentioning it. I know what I said earlier how I live with it, but...

Suzuki looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh. Rin will like you." Huh. That Tezuka girl?

"Split personalities?" Misha finally utters, still signing. Seems like Shizune's mildly surprised as well.

"Nothing too major." I respond quickly. Too quickly. The sinister chuckle I can hear in the middle of my head makes me cringe which doesn't go unnoticed.

"...Are you sure everything's okay, Caschan?"

"Y-yeah... I just need to... Uh... Look, you two, sorry that I have to bail out of that lesson of chopsticks holding, but there's something... Uh, important I have to do." I'm speaking way too fast to make it look normal. I'm a little afraid. If they're going to continue pushing the matter any more...

"Hey, if something's bothering you, say it out loud." Suzu interrupts my chaotic thoughts. Another chuckle in my head... Shit.

"T-thanks for concern, b-but I'm really fine..." I manage a nervous chuckle before rapidly taking my things and rushing out of classroom. Further away, so he won't take over... Further aw-OW!

Who the hell did I bump into this time?! I give a furious look around. This is getting bad. I need someplace calm to let off my steam or we'll be having unpleasant takeover very soon.

"You look like a caged animal." The familiar voice makes me snap back to my senses. The owner of this voice is none other than Rin. She's sort of sitting on the floor now with a deadpan expression, the can of paint lying near her. I suppose this is why the hit hurt so much.

"...Excuse me?" It's everything I manage to say.

"You seemed as if you were about to jump at someone's throat and rip their esophagus with the stomach and the duodenum." She states casually. Suddenly I feel terrible. Shoot. Weren't I supposed to actually be cool with it?

"...You okay?" I ask with concern, extending my hand to help her and then realizing that I've committed yet another faus pax. She doesn't seem to mind though as she suddenly... grabs the hand in question with her teeth. I can feel the pain, she's got some nice press.

"Pull." She says with the same deadpan expression. I do as she asks, albeit it costs me some of skin tissue out of my fingers. Damn, this will leave a mark. "Thanks."

"Sorry for that, I've just..."

"Not a problem. To be honest, it was something new." She somehow manages a shrug. "People usually don't knock me down, even by accident." Gee, I wonder why.

"...Uh, glad to help?" She smiles slightly, albeit this smile seems so different from all the other smiles I saw so far. The closest thing to it would be Shizune's triumphant expression. It is then that I realize that Suzu, Misha and Shizune still observe the whole thing. Thankfully, all the rage washed away. Thanks a bunch, Rin.

"You have a funny face." She says suddenly. "You remind me of Arnold Toht." I think I cringed. I've never liked Raiders of the Lost Ark. Watched it when I was six and it sort of left a scar in my mentality.

"I... I actually don't get that a lot." I respond, scratching the back of my neck.

"Think you can help me with it?" She says, pointing her beard at the can of paint. Nodding, I lift said can and am about to hand it to her when... Yeah. It'll be better if I just keep the can with myself for the time being. "Great. Follow me." She murmurs, running down the corridor at a steady pace.

* * *

Rin leads me outside towards dorms. Hm. Makes me wonder what is it with that can of paint. Does she bring stuff to someone who will make use of it? Or maybe she's the painter herself? To be honest, I've seen enough weird stuff around to not be surprised at such prospect.

We finally stop and thank goodness, that can was starting to get heavy. It takes me a while to notice, but we are in front of a wonderfully impressionistic mural. I'm not sure what exactly is on this wall, but it has a nice touch. A little abstract, colorful and seemingly without any kind of meaning... And yet, if you were willing to look at this further, it seemed as if it could reveal secrets of the universe to you.

"Like it?" I think I've heard a bit of pride in her voice.

"Boy, do I?" I respond, nodding. She raises an eyebrow.

"I know I'm wearing a boy's uniform, but I'm not a boy myself." She says.

"Huh? I didn't say you're a guy."

"Then what was that just before?" Hm. Note to self, don't use figures of speech near Rin.

"Uh... Nevermind. Anyway, an impressive thing."

"Thanks. Still need to finish it for the festival."

"Festival?" Oh, she has definitely piqued my interest. Strangely though, I don't recall anyone mentioning it.

"Yeah. Gotta move my lazy bum finally." She makes a small frown. "The festival's next week and it's still only barely touched."

"Barely touched? It looks as if it was ready." Rin smiles slightly in her own characteristic way. Seems like she took this one as a compliment.

"Cannot be completed without clouds. And birds. Birds sometimes fly through clouds, you know?"

"...Yeah." Wait, what was that? Seemed so random.

"Oh right, I don't think I even got your name." Huh. Truth be told, I didn't introduce myself to her.

"Sorry for that. Casper Stratoavis."

"Can I call you "Funny Face"?" If this would come from Misha, I'd most likely refuse to be called that. She, however, seems a bit... out of place.

"Sure, feel free."

"Or just FF for short. You could be a final fantasy now."

"Huh. I like that one."

"Anyway, thought you could help me out with this." She says, looking at mural in question.

"Uh... I'd love to, but I'm a lame duck when it comes down to painting things." Rin chuckles.

"Don't you worry, I'll take care of that. You could mix up some paint however. There's a few colors I need." Mixing colors? Well, I suppose I can do at least that. Also, to be honest, the thought of Rin painting comes out as... interesting. I've never seen a armless person before, to be honest. Perhaps that's plain rude to be so excited about it, but...

"Huh. Okay. I'll see what I can do then."

The next few hours or so go pretty slowly, boringly even. At first I had some trouble with mixing various colors, but after a few helpful hints from Rin I started to get a gist of it and do it actually relatively effectively. The armless artist herself was holding the paintbrush with her foot the entire time just as casually as people with hands. She was doing things a little slower, yes, but the flawless motion was more than noticeable. How long did she train on that? I think I even caught myself a few times staring at her. She's an artist. I'm tempted to say that similar minds think alike, but... Rin's mind seems different from everything I knew so far.

The time passes on. I think the sun even started to set.

"Well, this will be enough for today." She finally says, wiping the foot she was using in a towel. "Thanks for helping, FF."

"You're welcome..." Now that I think about it, I don't think I asked her about her name. "Uh, I don't think I..."

"Rin Tezuka." She responds, cutting me off. "Rin will suffice."

"Hm. Gotta remember that." I nod with a slight smile. "Glad I could be of any help."

"There's a funny air around you, FF." She suddenly says, giving me an inquisitive look. "Not sure what it is... Reminds me a bit about chicken. Well, a dead chicken."

"Oh... Should I be worried?"

"Not really." She shrugs, putting her sandals back on. I suppose putting normal shoes would be a pain. "To be honest, there's another feeling. As if you were the chicken and someone was strangling you from behind." I find myself blinking.

"Uh-huh..."

I don't recall Suzu and Rin talking to each other today. Did she find out the other me just by looking at me? Perhaps she's only suspecting.

"Say hi to him one day, will you?" Yes, she definitely knows. "For now though, I need to sleep." To drive the point home Rin lets out a long yawn.

"Do you want me to escort you to dorms?"

"Nah, I'm good. Nice of you that you care though." She smiles slightly before turning to her feet. "Later." With a nod, she goes to girls' dorms at a steady pace, leaving me near the mural. Hm. The sun's almost gone. Time to head back to the room.

* * *

Today was... busy. I got to know new people, almost lose control over myself and lose any trace of Hisao. Makes me wonder, where did he go?

As I make my way towards the room, I can see the man in question with Kenji. Looks like the guy that looks almost exactly like Harry Potter(an interesting coincidence, if you ask me) gives my poor neighbor another lecture about... feminists and their conspiracy. Huh. Interesting. Giving them a slight nod, I wander into my room. Hm. Seems the same as ever. I suppose I can hit the sack before the curfew even kicks in. Dunno why, but I'm just... tired. Did Nega's faint appearance do it to me? Who knows?

It's only nine past nine and I'm already after taking a shower and putting that gel on. Kenji's ramblings seem to die: Can't hear a thing. I suppose Hisao had finally gave up and went to his room. Hm. Since I apparently can't fall asleep for now, I suppose I'll humor myself with some internet lurking. After several minutes of mindless forum browsing, however...

There's a knock to the door.

Huh? It's twenty past nine. Who the hell would want to visit me at this time? If that's Kenji, trying to convince me to one of his schemes... With a groan I lift myself up from the bed, placing the laptop someplace safe.

"Who's there?" I ask through the door. The familiar girly giggle... Wait, what? I'm not sure if I opened the door because of her insolence or was I that surprised that she actually came here... To be honest, all of that starts to look like a bad dream.

A girl with pink drills grins at me. "Are you going to let me in, Caschan?"

* * *

**Yay for cliffhangers. Stay tuned for another chapters. Read and Review as always. :)**


	6. Act 1, Part 5: A Little Heart to Heart

**Well, since I've left you with a cliffhanger, we cannot just leave it like that for eternity. Enjoy the next chapter.**

* * *

My mind is full of questions when I see Misha herself in the threshold of the door, grinning as if it was class or anywhere else during some saner time. She's wearing a school uniform. Weird. I expected that this late she would be in her "everyday" clothes...

"...Isn't that too late for a lesson of chopsticks holding?" I only manage to groan a question. A cheerful grin disappears, replaced with a frown.

"Can't a girl check on a friend from time to time?" She asks back, pouting.

"I'm perfectly fine and it's twenty past nine."

"Oh, that rhymed." She notices, regaining the smile.

"Look, Misha, it's pretty late, curfew's going to hit soon and I'm not really in a mood to-are you even listening to me?" No, she doesn't, blatantly stepping into my personal space and locking the door.

Locking the door? I don't like where this is going.

"I was worried, Caschan." The straightforwardness of her response, combined with sudden deflation of her smile is almost shocking.

"Worried?" I find myself repeating bluntly. "What for?"

"For you, of course!" She seems a little offended that I could think otherwise.

"I'm fine... Just a little uncomfortable."

"Huh?"

"Oh, you know, I'm in my pajamas ready to hit the sack and you just sort of throw yourself inside." I point out the awkwardness of all situation. "Can't we talk tomorrow?"

"Can't do!" She says with a grin before reverting to more serious expression.

"...Fine. As long as no one will catch you being here, be my guest." I say defensively, shifting under my blanket and absentmindedly going back to my laptop, paying Misha minimal attention. Yeah, it may be a dick move from my side, but I really don't feel like talking with her after what happened in class this afternoon.

Of course, it takes her only a moment to glance around my room and invade my personal space, looking at the laptop's screen. Since I'm near the wall the only way she can see it is to assault my bed and place herself near me so close that our cheeks are touching. The fact that this is the other part of my face doesn't even seem to slightly phase her. I suppose being in Yamaku makes you tolerable to the weirdest of things.

"You were worried, right?" I ask, trying to not pay attention to Misha's presence. "What was the reason?"

"Your sudden exit this afternoon." She responds, staring at the screen. I can see she's really worried. That's kind of nice, to be honest. "You mentioned you have split personalities..."

"Yeah. Yes, in fact I do." Well, now that I'm much calmer than I was back then(though noticeably more flustered by pink-haired girl's closeness), I suppose I could tell the story.

"You seemed really... worried with that, Caschan." She says, glancing at me briefly. For a moment I consider closing the laptop, but then I would have no way to escape from her stare.

"I did." A long, awkward silence.

"Hey... If you're feeling bad, you can always talk to me. You know that?" She finally speaks up.

"Yeah... I mean, I think." Seeing Misha being worried for a second is bad. Seeing Misha being worried for more than few minutes though... This is an interesting sight. Makes my heart bleed, but it's an interesting sight nonetheless. "Why did you come here? You barely even know me." The slight bitterness in my voice is still perfectly noticeable.

"You're my friend, Caschan." She responds, poking my nose and lighting up slightly. "It's only natural I'll drop by to see how are you doing."

"We know each other for two days and you still-"

"Does it matter?" She abruptly cuts me off with a grin. I don't really know what to say.

"I think you should stop hugging my cheek." I mention offhandedly. "You'll get blood on your face."

"I'll wash it later." She says in a disturbingly dreamy voice before putting her arms around my stomach and pulling in for a gentle hug. I can feel myself blushing. "Oh, you're so comfortable, Caschan." Another commentary of hers makes me raise my eyebrow.

"Comfortable?"

"You're just so good to hug. Didn't expect you to be that cuddly." She says with a giggle. Yeah, embarrass me even more in my own room, will you?

What the hell is she trying to do? Pull a quickie on me? I'm pretty sure both Hisao and Kenji would make for better choices. I can understand why wouldn't she try with latter, seeing as she doesn't know him, but Nakai? He's more handsome than me, has more charm and, to top it all off, his injury isn't so blatantly visible.

And despite that, I can still feel my hands stroking her hair very delicately, carefully playing with this complicated haircut. I always liked to play with girls' hair, to be honest.

"So... Will you tell me something more, Caschan?" I can hear Misha's voice near me. Too close, definitely too close. "About this..."

"...If you want to listen..."

"Yup!" She grins again. Continuing stroking her hair, I manage a small sigh.

"Before I ended up here, in Yamaku... I used to go to the school in Tokyo. Nothing too elite, just a normal high school." Well, time for unpleasant flashbacks. "I was... Heck, I still am an eccentric person. Something one could call an artist. I write stories, you know? They're not really worth anyone's attention, but I'm trying my best..." I like to self-depreciate myself every now and then, in case you didn't notice it already. "I... avoided other people. I suppose I've been finding them stupid or unworthy of my precious time..." She doesn't cut me off, listening. I can feel her index finger moving slowly on my chest. "Then... I met my first girlfriend. First and last to be honest." Should I really carry on? A heavy sigh escapes my lips. "She was gentle. Caring. Beautiful. Pretty smart too. We even shared a few interests and hobbies... All in all, I stole the first kiss from her." I must admit... I still regard that memory as a nice one. Despite how it all ended... "We were a happy couple, but something was off... Very off." I can feel that all fond memories start to die out... To make a place for that particular one. "She was... possessive. I mentioned how she was gentle and caring. Well, she was, but only for me and me only..." Long silence. Misha doesn't rush me into saying more, just sliding her finger through my chest. It's a weird feeling. I don't stop her from that, still playing with her hair. They're as puffy as you'd expect them to be. "Every other girl that so much as talked to me risked being beaten up by my girlfriend and her posse. They were quite the delinquents. It was... terrifying me, you know? I... I suppose I just couldn't put up with that. I didn't want to have others suffer at my expense... So I broke up with her. She didn't take it well." Another moment of silence. One of my hands slides at Misha's back and starts gently massaging it. "One week later, there was a science lesson. Chemistry. We were experimenting with acids. Some of those are safe... Some are not." Pink-haired girl going wide-eyed makes me certain she knows what could I possibly implicate. "Sulfuric acid. She almost splashed the entire face."

"...I'm so sorry." Misha finally says, hugging me a bit stronger. She's sad. This so bubbly and cheerful girl is now sad... I don't get it.

"I'm used to the injury. I'm still not used to... him, though. Sometimes, an extreme pain can cause your mind to alter... With that, Nega was born." Yet another moment of silence. "He manifests on occasion... Usually when I'm shocked, whether by pain or, I dunno, unpleasant emotions. Rejection, for example." There's yet another long pause. "I... I really hope you will never get to see the other me, Misha." Well, now that I'm done... Will she go away?

"I'm pretty sure me and Shicchan would be more than able to talk him back." She says with a grin, snuggling. What is it you want, woman? "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"I'm glad to be okay as well. Now, are you done?" Perhaps it's a little harsh coming from me, but I really worry what about two things: What would happen if someone had caught her here and what could possibly evolve from this awkward situation.

"Aw. You want me to go?" She says teasingly, winking at me. Do I? A part of me wants to, indeed. The other, the smaller one... Wants her to stay, at least a minute longer. Perhaps I'm just a weak man. I suppose I just need someone to hug every once in a while.

"You know curfew's up in a few minutes, right?" I mention after a long while of hesitation. She seems to notice this tentativeness as she only giggles quietly. I couldn't possibly suspect that Misha would be able to be that quiet. Dunno what to make of it.

"I do it every so often, Caschan." She responds, leaning a bit closer. I can feel her strawberry-flavored breath. It's very, very tempting. "You know, visiting people. Girls and boys alike." I... I really don't like where this might go. "Besides, what the eye does not see, the heart does not regret." Compose yourself. You barely even know her.

"Misha, please... I..." She bursts into her "wahahaha" laughter, albeit this one is much more subdued.

"Or maybe you're not into girls, Caschan?" She asks in a teasing tone. Oh... A low blow. She notices my bemused frown."Just kidding, just kidding."

"I was about to formulate a snide remark." I respond, pouting. Her sweet breath will make me lose senses very soon, if I don't do something.

"Oh really, Caschan? What were you going to say?" She's just inches from my face, not even slightly moved by the sight before her eyes.

The consequences will be horrible. If anyone will spot her here, we'll be in a bucketful of trouble. Misha said she had visited other guys and even some girls... How should I respond to that? How can I interpret that? Why is it... so hard to comprehend?

"I'd have to ask you to leave." I finally manage to say, but my voice is so weak I doubt she had ever heard me. To be honest, I think she might be purposely shutting down any words that she wouldn't like to hear. After a longer moment of silence I manage to shift a little bit from her face and check the watch. Five minutes past curfew. Great. Might as well put the laptop someplace safe.

"Too late for that?" She asks with a sly smile. I'm pretty sure she knows that it is indeed too late.

"Hmph. Can't you cut straight to the chase?" Misha pouts a little. Hilarious. She has me on the ropes and yet she still doesn't like the situation. A picky girl.

"I like to enjoy the intimacy, Caschan." She says playfully before sliding a little bit down and lightly nibbling my neck. She surely knows how to make a man aroused... But I cannot put up with that... As much as I'd love to. "Don't you?"

"...I do every once in a while. You take it too far though." Another giggle.

"Someone's a bit stark." She whispers, smiling slightly and embracing her hands around me and doing the same with her legs. She has me in a deadlock, giving me a mischievous wink. "You should ease up a little. Didn't you do it with... her?" Long sigh coming from my side.

"No. We only did so much as kissing and it wasn't so blatantly sexual." I respond, trying to keep my head cool. Choose your words carefully and perhaps you will save your dignity.

...Do you really want that though?

"Oh, so it would be your first time you have a girl this close to yourself..." She giggles. God, stop giggling. As if I wasn't nervous already.

"Yes... Not exactly the most comfortable of moments..." She seems jokingly offended.

"Are you implying I'm unworthy of your magnificence, Caschan?" She asks rhetorically. I can't help but chuckle. She chuckles as well.

"I wouldn't dare." I respond. I feel like giving up and just rolling with it... But some part of me, getting progressively smaller, screams curses at my own wanton. What should I do? What is it that I want? "Still, it's getting late. Take the bed if you want, I can sleep on floor today." She seems bewildered. I take another sigh. To be honest... I hope she'll take it well. "Look, Misha... You're a beautiful girl. Very charming, even if a little obnoxious with your constant laughter... I dare to say, you're sex appeal personified." For the first time it is she who profusely blushes with embarrassment. "However... I don't think I'm ready for such a move. We know each other so far as two days and..." And suddenly there's her index finger on my lips, silencing me.

"Are you saying all of those hoping that I'll give up?" She asks with a grin, just inches from my face. This is it... I'm finished. "I'm not planning to give up anytime soon, Caschan. You're different from others though. You shy away from physical contact."

"Is it really that bad?"She smiles and it's a gentle, genuine smile. For some reason... I feel even more disturbed.

"It's new for me." Huh? "Every other guy so far was more than eager for a quick ride." So... It was her intention all along. She wasn't interested how am I doing, but..."But before you think something, Caschan, I was really worried about you..."

"...Well, I'm doing quite fine now." I'm not going to admit how do I feel on that one. Her concern did seem completely genuine though... No. I'm not going to be mad. There's no reason for that. For now, I just want to be with this pink-haired angel I misjudged earlier. She said I shy away... But that doesn't mean I cannot be made to change my opinion.

"Hey. Did it help, telling someone about this little thing?" There's a long silence before I finally respond.

"Yeah. Thank you, Misha."

"You can call me Shiina, if you want to." She embraces me again.

"Shiina?" I do the same, accidentally feeling a clasp of her bra.

"That's my name. Misha's just a nickname." So close... So close to taste her lips.

"I was actually wondering if you're half-Russian. That would explain why your laughter is so loud." She grins in response before planting a small, short kiss in the corner of my lips. It tastes sweet... Very sweet.

"Nope." She responds, smiling. There's a small moment of silence.

"Hey... Shiina..."

"Hm?"

"Are you sure you want to kiss... that?" I ask with slight unease. The incident miraculously left my nose untouched, but the same couldn't be said about my mouth. At least third part of it melted with the other part of my face, if not the half... It would be like kissing a bare jaw. She, however, understands my concern.

"Don't worry about it, Caschan." She responds, her eyes shining with happiness. Even if I'm meant to be a one-night event for her... I still am delighted.

"You can just call me Casper, you know?" She giggles before pushing me all the way down to the bedsheets, our chests touching.

"I know." The girl with pink drills smiles gently before kissing me for the second time, but this time, she goes all-in, her tongue invading my cavern. It takes only a second for me to recover from initial shock of how good this girl kisses and kiss back, doing the same. Went from a small kiss to a full French Kiss in a matter of several seconds... That escalated quickly. Kissing, kissing, not even bothering to catch a breath. As long as possible. Feel her, be with her... Become one with her. I succumbed. I'm such a weak man sometimes...

The kiss finally ends as both of us break away to catch a breath. She's panting heavily, looking directly in my eyes.

"...Did you like it?" She asks, struggling to align her breath.

"I loved it." I respond truthfully. Such a weak man... Misha seems to notice that I'm still a bit uncomfortable and makes a small frown.

"Casper... If I'll make you feel bad, just tell me, okay?" The girl before my eyes goes back to smiling slightly. "I don't want to hurt you." Do you really think I'd be able to tell you that in a heat of night? Still... Your concern makes me certain you really do care.

"I hope I won't pass out of God knows what first." I respond, trying to joke. She giggles before kissing me for the third time. If I thought it's impossible to squeeze more passion from a kiss the last time, then I've just been proved damn wrong. She breaks away after a while, smiling triumphantly at my utter shock.

"I promise not to do anything overly naughty." She says with a sly smile before nibbling my neck again. How can I believe that if you've just bit me again? She winks playfully at me.

"Try it too." She purrs, rolling off me. Does she want me to...? With some hesitation I place myself on top of her. "Your eye is flashing." She says teasingly. Does it? It takes me some self-control to not look away and even more of it to lean down a bit and gently nibble her neck. How does she do it so freely? I suppose it boils down to her experience while I am but a novice to all of that.

Her reaction is pleasing, the soft moan escapes her lips... Oh God. Oh God, what am I doing?

I move away, surprising her slightly.

"Something's the matter, Caschan?" She asks. I'm pretty sure she knows the answer.

"...I can't. I don't want to do something both of us would regret, Shiina. Even if it's casual for you, I just..." She silences me with her index finger and smiles gently.

"It's okay." She pulls me into a hug as we roll sidewards, staring at each other. "If that's the case, let me just cuddle with you." Yeah. I can allow as much. I embrace her delicately, being very careful to not stumble upon the clasp of her bra again. We just lie there and look at each other, feeling the warmth of our bodies. She moves a bit closer to me, smiling.

"Misha, I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Are we friends?" She giggles quietly before planting a small kiss on my forehead.

"Of course. I'm always here for you." I can't tell if she's telling that to every person she seduced or is really being genuine. I sincerely hope that the latter's the case. "We can always repeat it, if you feel like it." She adds in a slightly seductive voice. I can't help but chuckle awkwardly.

"I suppose I'm that kind of a person who just needs a hug every so often." I reply, holding her hand in my own. "Thank you again, Misha."

"You're welcome." She buries her pink-haired head in my chest, smiling. "Good night."

"Yeah... Good night."

* * *

**I suppose it still isn't bad enough for M rating. Anyway, there you have it. Read and Review. :)**


	7. Act 1, Part 6: Tea Time

**After an intimate night with Misha, what will happen now? Time to find out.**

* * *

Alarm clock. Goddammit, where did I put this cellphone again?

I finally manage to find it. Confusingly, there's a small piece of paper under it. That's not my handwriting, so I'm going to assume it's Misha's.

Misha... Shiina... I still can't get over with what happened last night. It was so close to letting the primal instincts kick in... It was pleasant. Too pleasant... And yet, I couldn't just kick her out of the room. The taste of her lips... Strawberry. I love strawberries.

Ugh. If this was only a one-night stand, than I hope nothing will change between us. She's still highly obnoxious at times, but I suppose I misjudged her at the very beginning. She too has some hidden depths.

Heh. I wonder if she will visit Hisao tonight. Shuffling back to some less embarrassing thoughts, I read the note.

"I hope you don't have any plans for this afternoon. I'm going to teach you a bit today. :3 You know, holding chopsticks, among other things. Love, Misha." This is the purview of said letter. She even included a cat smile. To be honest, it suits her. Still, that "among other things" fragment is a little unnerving. What could she possibly mean by that? Something like last night?

Checking the cellphone once more and it seems I put the same alarm as yesterday. Great, now I won't fall asleep again... With my mind full of uncertainties... I need a shower. Yeah. A shower will help me wash it all.

* * *

After getting myself organized, I head towards cafeteria for some breakfast. This time I don't see Taro anywhere. Lilly, however, managed to be here before me today and is now sitting at the same table as yesterday. After ordering myself a casserole – I'm a sucker for casseroles – I head to that table.

"Good morning, Sa-I mean, Lilly." I greet her. Seeing as she smiles, I suppose she has remembered me.

"Good morning, Casper." She replies as I take a seat. "Been sleeping well?"

"Quite." The trembling in my voice is likely too audible to be ignored. She just had to touch that matter, hadn't she?

"I see." On the other hand, she won't delve in any details. I'm grateful for that. "How are your thoughts on Yamaku Academy, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well..." How should I put this? "People I've met closer are fairly... unusual."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Should I be honest? Most of them are crazy." I respond jokingly. She smiles, albeit the very delicate frown hid behind that smile makes me think I shouldn't have said that. "Albeit in a sort of positive way. Their presence is very motivating." The frown disappears.

"I suppose it may take time getting used to such a situation." She responds, nodding slightly.

"A little, yeah." To be honest, not really. People in here, despite their disabilities, are... just like they were in every other school I attended to. There's always a sporty gal(like Emi), someone out of this world(like Rin), someone completely average(like Hisao) and so on. The only difference is their appearance and even then most of people around don't have something exceedingly glaring for a disability. There are exceptions, of course, but most of problems seem to be hidden inside.

"I've been wondering, do you have any plans for today's lunch?" Her question makes me raise an eyebrow. That... lesson of chopsticks holding will be held after class...

"I think I don't." I respond after a while, carefully waging words. The blonde girl smiles slightly.

"Would you mind if I invited you for lunch?"

"I'd be honored." I mean, sure, why not? She seems like a nice enough person to know. "Would it be only for the two of us?" She shakes her head.

"No. Hanako and Hisao are also invited." Oh. Well, it's not like I won't enjoy their company. It's nice to change it every once in a while, considering I've been almost constantly with Misha and Shizune.

"Good to know. Where will this lunch take place? I take it won't be in the cafeteria." She smiles slightly.

"I will be visiting your class to pick Hanako up. You and Hisao are welcome to join." She responds with a light nod. And again, that seems reasonable. The whole person of Lilly seems really reasonable. Comparing to other "crazy" people around, she seems so serene. Tranquil, aloof even. Unlike Rin though, she doesn't seem to be detached. Very level-headed, very... motherly? If she's the person that can make Hanako at ease, she really has to radiate calmness.

Heh. Radiate. I wouldn't be surprised if there would be someone in this school disfigured by nuclear stuff.

* * *

Lessons until lunch break aren't really interesting. Some Maths, some science, some English(something which, amusingly, even Shizune struggles with while I and the Indian girl just sort of blaze through it) and here I am, blankly staring at the board and begging the bell to finally ring. It finally comes, my saving grace. Thought I will never hear this lovely sound. This time, Hanako doesn't immediately darts out of her seat. I suppose she waits for Lilly. In the meantime, Misha and Shizune has captured Hisao into their nets and try to get him on lunch. Heh. At least they're not concentrating on me this time.

Misha... Misha's the same as ever was. What happened yesterday evening doesn't seem to change our relationship in the slightest. Should I be grateful... or disappointed? I don't know. Makes me wonder if she had told anyone about this. I suppose such an intimate meeting is a bit too much for her to tell about, although considering this is the girl we're talking about...

A light sound of cane tapping on the floor does not go unnoticed for me. The silhouette of Lilly appears in class. All three of us – that is, me, Hanako and Hisao – notice her. Shizune does as well and I can quite clearly see she's less than pleased to see the blind blonde. Dunno why, to be honest.

"Hello...?" Lilly asks no one in particular. She needs confirmation that someone is indeed in the class.

"Good morning." Both me and Hisao say in unison before giving each other a slightly amused look. Miss Satou smiles as well. In the meantime, Hanako slowly gets up from her seat, still looking as shy as ever. There's a small problem though... Shizune and Misha don't want to let Nakai go for some reason.

"Uh... Lilly, I'm afraid I won't be able to make it." He says, hesitating. Those two devils probably have some plans for him.

"Most unfortunate." She responds and seems genuinely saddened. Hanako has managed to shift to her side in the meantime. Well, I suppose I shouldn't waste my time. Just as I'm about to leave, Misha's voice catches my attention.

"Caschan, and where are you going?" I suppose she's speaking Shizune's thoughts now and yes, just as I turn around, I can see the piercing glare of our class rep, looking daggers at me.

"I was invited for lunch." I respond, making a shrug. Dunno why Shizune makes such a big fuss over it.

"Well, Shicchan was going to invite you to lunch as well." There's a small accusation in Misha's voice. It hurts more than I expected.

"Sorry, Misha. How about tomorrow?" She signs it to Shizune. The girl with glasses seems quite bemused, but only makes a silent sigh and waves her hand at me as if she was saying "just go before I change my mind". How grateful, class rep.

"But you'd better be there tomorrow!" Pink-haired girl responds, a very slight seductive tone in her voice. I look away, trying my hardest to not blush. Bizarrely, only Lilly seems to notice the slight tone change. I suppose when you lack one sense, your other ones improve a bit. Then again, Shizune's deaf and yet she wears glasses. Makes me wonder if she can actually talk. Most probably, but as she can't hear herself, she probably doesn't want to use her voice that much.

"Sure thing..." I respond after a while that feels like a whole hour. "See you three later." Nodding to Hisao, I exit the classroom alongside Lilly and Hanako. The latter seems mildly surprised when she notices that I'm going with them. Weird. I thought she figured it out it was Lilly who invited me.

The blonde girl leads us to a room I've never seen before. It's pretty small, having only one table and four chairs. The fourth was most likely reserved for Hisao, but poor guy couldn't make it from Shizune's iron grasp. Gah. I shudder at the thought. She seems like the gal who will keep playing Monopoly just to win, no matter how long the game might take.

"Care for some tea?" Lilly's voice snaps me out of thought. Hanako has already taken her place.

"Oh. That would be lovely." I respond, smiling slightly. Then it hits me: How is she going to pour something without vision? The urge to voice my doubts is tempting, but on second thought... I suppose she has her way of dealing around this issue. Most people around have anyway. Emi has prosthesis. Rin uses her legs. Shizune has Misha to interpret for her... Now that I think of it, my own disability is tame. Surely it looks terrible and it has left some minor scars, but I still have the other eye and the other ear available...

There's a longer moment of silence. Hanako keeps silent, shifting her glances between Lilly and me. I think I do the same, although I'm not all that sure. Maybe I was just staring through the window... Suddenly, there's a cup of tea before my eyes.

"Oh... Thanks."

"You're welcome." She responds with a smile before sitting next to Hanako with her own cup of tea. For some reason, I feel a bit out of place here... "Would it be an unkindness from my side if I asked you about yourself?" She formulates a question.

"I suppose I can tell a thing or two if you're interested. I'm nothing special, to be honest." Well, yeah, the vain part of my soul doesn't agree with that. Still, being modest is a nice thing.

"Oh, everyone has a story of their own." Lilly responds, smiling mysteriously.

"Eh. I was just an ordinary... Maybe slightly eccentric student in one of the many high schools in Tokyo... Until the incident, that is."

"I see." Well, that conversation is on the verge of dying out quite quickly.

"...I'm sorry. I'm not the best when it comes down to keeping the conversation alive." It sounds more like an excuse than anything else. I feel a little bad because of that, especially that I didn't even really contributed to this lunch with some other way than just attending.

"It's quite alright." She responds with a smile. "It is still nice to have some company during lunch."

"Indeed." Shoot. Seems like we just cannot find a similar language. The fact that Hanako keeps quiet all that time doesn't help matters. "So, uh... Your favorite color?" Oh crap, did it really have to be the first thing to think as a question? She can't even see, for Pete's sake!

However, Lilly takes this obvious _faux pas_ quite lightly. I'm actually surprised, as this one was most definitely the biggest out of them all.

"White." She responds, sipping her tea. "It's the color of vanilla-flavored ice-cream, my personal favorite. It's also the color of snow, correct? Winter is my favorite season."

"Really? I'm a fan of winter as well..." I find myself responding. Lilly smiles brightly.

"M-my favorite is... p-purple." Hanako's voice almost makes me jump off my seat. It's so easy to forget she's in here as well. She's just so quiet all the time.

"Well, it's a nice color too." I respond, trying to sound as neutral as possible. "As for me, my favorite would be either red or black. Dunno why. I suppose I'm just that kind of edgy person."

"You don't seem edgy." Blond-haired girl responds with a smile. You can't even see me. Is it the reason you're so kind to me? Is it the reason you and Hanako are friends? Eh, perhaps I'm just too cynical.

"Thanks... I guess. We barely even know each other though." Another moment of silence.

"I-I also think you're not e-edgy..." Purple-haired girl says all of a sudden, surprising me.

"...Really?"

"...Yes." Yet another moment of awkward silence.

"I... Uh, that's... That's nice of you." I can feel I'm blushing. God, what is wrong with you? Get your things together!

"N-no, it's nothing much..."

"A-actually, I think it's more than enough." Too bold, my conscience says. This time, silence lasts until the end of lunch break. Hanako quite literally storms out of the room. Just as I'm about to leave, Lilly sighs. It had just stroked me that she didn't move an inch.

"She can be so timid sometimes..." She says, making a small, sad smile. Not sure what to think of it. Was this note to me or did she just say it to herself? "She seems at slightly bigger ease when around you though." Yes, this was definitely to me. Thankfully she can't see how taken-aback I am.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, you heard me right." Lilly smiles, and this time the smile is quite genuine. "Perhaps she can identify with you somehow, now that your disabilities are that similar."

"Really? I'd rather expected her to avoid me. I just can't help but think I'm a big sign saying "unpleasant flashbacks" to her." A short moment of silence before Lilly stands up.

"Say, are you interested in another lunch tomorrow?"

"Sure thing... Assuming Misha and Shizune will let me."

"Oh, don't worry about it. They can't prison you now, can they?"

"You'd be surprised..." The flashback of Misha's kiss hits me like a semi.

"Is everything alright?" Crap. My sudden change of tone probably gave it away that's something's off."

"Yeah... Yeah, don't worry about it."

* * *

And it's the end of lessons for today. Paradoxically, I just can't find any enjoyment because of it. Now, Misha will most likely drag me to a closet and rape me...

"Caschan!" Well, it's the pink-haired girl herself, grinning to me as always. Shizune accompanies her, standing a bit behind her... Or maybe it's the other way around? "You know what time it is now, don't you?"

"Yeah." I respond, desperately trying to keep a straight face.

"The lessons of chopsticks-holding!" She just had to shout it so loudly so anyone can hear it, eh? I can hear a few snickers around, mostly coming from a guy in a beret. He looks like an ass. Not gonna like him.

"...Yeah, I know. You don't have to shout."

"You know, sometimes you're prone to forgetting about stuff like that." There's a small accusation in her voice. I suppose she might refer to the incident on lunch break which actually has nothing to do with it.

"No, I'm not." I probably shouldn't say that, but honestly I'm starting to become pissed off. "Say, Misha, can't we just give up on that?"

"Oh no, I'm not letting you get away." She grins. Eh. What did I do to be the victim of this?

Suddenly however, I can see someone who might arrive just in time to be my saving grace. Hanako is, surprisingly, still in classroom. What's more surprising, she actually approaches us. Shizune shoots her a glare and for a while I think she might back down, but she doesn't! She doesn't, she actually speaks up.

"Um... E-excuse me, M-Misha..." She starts, stuttering slightly. "B-but I we had an a-appointment with Casper for today..." She's lying and I have no idea why is she actively trying to save my hide from Misha.

"Oh, but you took him away on lunch break already!" Pink-haired girl responds.

"I-it's important." There's a longer moment of silence. For some reason, I feel a bit sorry for Shizune who just stands there, left out of conversation and awaits Misha to stop messing around with an angry glare.

"Oh well." Misha's surprisingly quick to drop the topic... Note to self, lock the room completely for this night. "We'll have our lesson some other time." Hanako nods to me and leaves the classroom. Jesus, she has just saved me.

Why?

* * *

**I feel this chapter could have been slightly better, but oh well. Here you go, read and review. :)**


	8. Act 1, Part 7: Diamond Amongst The Ashes

**Welp, he got saved alright. What will happen now?**

* * *

The number of questions I want to ask Hanako is positively staggering, but for now I just savor my own freedom from Misha. I thought about throwing myself to purple-haired girl's feet, but that would be a bit of overreacting from my side and I think she could get scared because of that. I'd prefer to keep her relatively calm, especially now that she saved me from clutches of pink-haired menace.

She leads me to the tea room where we and Lilly had a lunch earlier today. Interesting... But it's afternoon already. It's a little bit too late for a lunch snack... What's her goal?

"P-please, come in...", she says in her usual insecure tone, making an inviting gesture. She made in a way like I was going to bite her though. I think I raised my eyebrow.

"Thanks, I guess." I respond with a slightly awkward tone. I doubt she's trying to do the same as Misha, unless that insecurity is just a facade hiding a sex predator.

...Heh. Now that I've said it, it sounds both disturbing and hilarious at the same time.

"Why?" I finally ask her. "Why did you do it? You were perfectly safe to walk out of the classroom as always." She doesn't respond for a long time.

"I... Y-you seemed repressed." The answer makes me wonder how the hell does she keep a straight face. Repressed?

"I, uh... Did I?" She takes a seat on the other side of the table, so it leaves me with no other options, but to sit in front of her.

"A little..." Long moment of silence.

"So, uh... Apart from me being repressed, did you have any other reason?" I ask, feeling a bit uneasy. She seems to be a polar opposite of Misha: Shy, insecure, quiet and socially awkward. As I suspected, she almost immediately looked somewhere different, clearly looking embarrassed. Either her reason is something that should never be revealed or she might as well not have one.

I don't get it.

"Right. I still haven't thank you for that." I say, trying to change the topic slightly. It helps as Hanako smiles slightly, although she still refuses to look in my general direction.

"I-it's not a problem..." She responds quietly, almost whispering.

"Do I scare you?" Perhaps it might be a little too direct, but I want to make sure. She finally looks at me.

"...A little."

"Well, that's quite alright." I smile slightly before realizing it might make me look even worse. Fortunately, Hanako smiles as well.

"I-I thought you may w-want to see something..." She stands up, goes to a cupboard and takes out something which looks like a chess board.

A chess board? Oh... Interesting. I'm not sure if I mentioned if before, but I like playing chess. I wouldn't call myself an avid or experienced player, but playing it on occasion is a nice thing.

"So you're a chess player?" I ask about the obvious. She nods with slight hesitation.

"I-I'm not that good though... I-I just play it for fun."

"Well, neither am I. Fighting games is my forte when it comes down to gaming."

"Oh..." Is it me or is it a faint tone of disappointment? Well, that makes some sense. She doesn't look like the type to enjoy such stuff.

"Oh right... Before I forgot... I wanted to apologize you." I start, reminding myself of yesterday afternoon.

"For what?" She seems surprised.

"You know, for staring at you like that." She finally remembers and blushes profusely. Maybe it wasn't the best idea out there.

"...It's o-okay." No, it's not okay and I can tell by your voice.

"Hanako... Can I ask you about a bit of honesty? What was the reason you saved me from Misha today?" I can't beat around the bush as much as I hate to do it to her. She's like a fragile flower and the directness of my question might as well be the tree's log.

"I... Well... Because..." The fact that her cheeks flush with each word does not help matters. "Y-you're Lilly's friend... And I thought..."

To be honest, I expected something else. Suffice to say, she actually surprised me.

"Oh... That's nice of you..." Phew. Thankfully she did not fall for me for some stupid reason or does not want to show her gratitude like Misha did yesterday...

Remember to lock the door.

"Well, if you're up for a quick game of chess, I'm game." I say, smiling. She smiles as well. Thank goodness. Well, I'll take your word for me being "repressed" then, Hanako. "You take white or black?"

"O-oh, choose first."

"Black then." I say with a half-grin, taking a black bishop and twirling it around my fingers.

Bishops are my favorites in chess. They are the ultimate form of _Blitzkrieg. _What do I mean by that? Well, they're usually one of the first major contestants to enter the fray. Although their movement ability is strictly narrow, it is more than sufficient for finishing the reckless or novice opponent. It's quite possible to trap opponent's King in a matter of several turns, assuming the enemy in question is dumb enough to fall for that. Usually he needs to sacrifice the Queen which, at the very start of the game, is a ginormous difference. From that point you can quite literally steamroll over him, assuming you won't catch him a few turns later.

I doubt Hanako will fall for it though. She said she's not that good, but the glint in her eyes speaks otherwise. She isn't arrogant, no. She, however, seems to be good enough player to figure out basic attacks and counter them more or less efficiently.

In other words, she will be a worthy opponent.

As I thought, Hanako's a good player... Although "good" might be an understatement... She's a great player.

I got cocky during the first match and got my behind kicked all the way to Alabama. The next round was a bit more even, but after I lost both of my rooks in exchange for only one bishop of hers, things got out of hand again. She appears very harmless at first and so was her early game... Or so I thought. All of that was just an elaborate mind game specifically designed to lull me into false sense of security. Once she were ready, she basically unleashed a beating so brutal and so severe it was hard to believe she can be capable of such relentlessness.

I wasn't going to give up though. We had three other games and each of those had me closer to victory, but not actually winning. Hanako was playing dangerously, but predictably. After taking enough hits, I would eventually start figuring out how to counter her counters and how to put a dent in her defenses.

For now though... It was 4-0 for her.

"Well played." I say, smiling. She smiles as well. Apparently, she's at bigger ease when behind the board. Dully noted.

"T-thanks." She responds. "B-but you're a good player too."

"Nah, my skills are rusty. Will take me some time to be at least decent..." A moment of hesitation. "Thanks for that, Hanako. You're too kind."

"T-that's nothing..." I think I hit the icky spot as she looks away with a slight blush.

"No, really. You saved me from Misha's clutches. That's more than enough to have my gratitude. I dare to say, I owe you one."

"N-no, there's no need..."

"Nah, it isn't a problem. If you will ever need a hand, give me a call." Awkward silence makes me realize that perhaps she really doesn't want it. "That is... If you're okay with that." Another moment of awkward silence. Way to go, Casper. You cocked it up for the umpteenth time. How many gaffes will you commit? "I... I, uh... I'm sorry." I know it won't help much, but it's the most I can do for now. She looks away at first, but then looks at me. Is it just me or her eyes became deeper...?

Gah. What the hell is wrong with you? Compose yourself, you barely know her. Besides... Those burn scars... They are very, very noticeable... Although a fetishist fragment of my heart tells me those only adhere her attractiveness.

I find it funny... So many beautiful girls and all of them are disabled in one way or another. Lilly's blind, Shizune's deaf and mute, Emi lacks legs, Rin lacks arms, Hanako has her burn scars... Now that I think of it, only Misha seems perfectly fine. Why's that? Perhaps she does have ADHD... But isn't that more of a mental disability? Don't know.

"I-it's okay." She smiles very slightly, but the sweetness behind that smile could probably infect people with diabetes. "It's getting dark..." She says. Huh. It does get dark.

"Well, I suppose we should be off. Curfew's soon, correct?"

"A-actually, we still have some time left. A few hours, b-but... but it should suffice for the r-rest of the day."

"Cool. Would it be a problem if I escorted you to your dorm?" I ask with a slight smile. She almost immediately looks away with a blush. I hope she didn't perceive it as something inappropriate.

"N-no, I'll be fine." She responds, this time avoiding eye contact with me. Before I can respond, she already makes her way to the exit... But not without accident. She suddenly trips...

How? What happened? I manage to catch her at the very last minute.

"You okay?" Long moment of silence. Awkwardly long... Too long.

"L-let me go..." She utters, burning red. I do as she asks. Hanako stands up... and falls again, wincing. This time I'm not able to react in time as she hits the floor with a stifled yelp of pain.

"Are you okay?" I rush to her, worried. If she fell down like that, something terrible might be happening. A sprained ankle, perhaps? God... Now I regret not paying attention on lessons about first aid...

"...My foot h-hurts..." She responds very quietly, sitting up. Thankfully, she doesn't seem to be further injured.

"This might be a sprained ankle." I say. "I'll need to carry you to the Nurse." As to be expected, she almost immediately burns even further red.

"I-I can go there m-myself..." She responds, embarrassed and tries to stand up, only to falter and fall down on floor just a second later.

"No, you can't. It might be something serious." She doesn't respond. I think I sighed as I sit in front of her with my legs crossed. "Look, Hanako. We can sit here as long as you wish, but I'm afraid your leg won't feel better without some medical aid. I know that much and I think you know that as well." I hope I'll be able to convince her to let me carry her to Nurse's office... Ideally before curfew. "There is also the matter of curfew. We can sit here all night if you wish..."

"C-can't you just call t-the Nurse?" She tries her best to get away from the prospect of me carrying her anywhere. Jeez. I suppose I can understand, but I don't even know her that well. It's not like I have some bad ideas to fulfill that involve her.

"You do know it's my third day in this school and there's a big probability of me getting lost? And even if you directed me towards Nurse's office from here, I'm not certain if Nurse himself would know the way to this tea room." Hanako bites her lip, looking away. "Please. I'm not a bad guy who takes advantage of such a situation... Truth be told, I barely know you."

"_Like that stopped you from getting intimate with Misha." _**He **suddenly speaks up in my mind, mocking me as always.

"_Shut your trap."_ I respond back, trying my best to keep a straight face. **He **only chuckles evilly and says nothing more. "So... What say you, Hanako?" She sighs and finally looks me in the eye.

"A-alright..." I nod in response before very slowly and very carefully lifting her, bridal style. She's extremely shamefaced, as in, I don't think it's possible to get anymore embarrassed.

Now... She weighs a bit. As expected of a weakling like me, it might be hard to carry her all that way to Nurse's office. I'd suggest piggyback ride, as, I think, it would be more comfortable for the both of us, but on the other hand, suggesting anything now seems like she would jump away and crawl to infirmary if needed to.

I'd like to avoid it.

I'm walking relatively quickly, mostly because it's starting to become hard to keep her in such a position.

"You need to navigate me." I say to Hanako who nods uneasily. Thankfully, the school is mostly deserted by now, so we manage to avoid any curious glances... Until we make it to school's courtyard.

Despite the fact that the sun starts to set, there are still tons of students here, relaxing, chatting with each other and generally having a good time. They just had to be here today, hadn't they? I swear, it's Murphy's Law in full effect.

"Is there any other way around to get to Nurse's office?" I ask Hanako. Much to my horror, she shakes her head, apparently as surprised at sudden escalation of students as me. "...Crap. There's no way we'll sneak up all the way through it."

"I-I can walk on m-my own..." She starts her spiel, but I'm not going to let go this time.

" No, you can't." I let out a small sigh. "Well, we need to figure out something..."

"Need a hand, you two?" Rin's voice surprises both me and Hanako. I'll admit, I almost dropped her. The armless girl comes from the side corridor, smirking. Her smile implies a lot more than it should.

"...Look, we're just looking for a way to the infirmary. Hanako sprained her ankle and..."

"Say no more." Rin is still smirking. A few more seconds and I will most likely get slapped by further embarrassed Miss Ikezawa. "So you need an alternate way to the Nurse's office?"

"T-that would be nice if you t-told us..." I wonder if those two know each other. They're from separate classes, true, but this school doesn't have as many students as expected it to. Then again, I don't think they would get along.

Would Hanako get along with anyone not named Lilly? Well, I suppose there was me, although I suppose she will avoid me for a longer while after today's incident. There was also Hisao, I think. He seemed like a nice guy, so who knows?

"Sure thing. Follow me." Without further ado, Rin turns on her heels and starts walking through the corridor she came here. I only hope she's serious about this and not just trying to pull a prank on us. I can see her as a person who pulls pranks on people. Nasty pranks.

Thankfully, not this time. It took us some time to make use of the "shortcut" of Rin, but we eventually made it to the infirmary. Thank goodness, my arms were starting to get seriously weak. I gently put her down on a nearby bench and knock to the door. The door is opened by a middle-aged man with a goatee. I suppose he's just one of many nurses in the facility.

"Good evening. There was an accident. Miss Ikezawa can't walk on her own." I say it on one breath, wanting to have it already past me. The Nurse nods and helps out Hanako in getting inside the office.

Well, my job here is done... And yet, I feel like I should apologize. Again. Weird. Usually people around me are irritated when I apologize too much which happens from time to time... And here, I feel as if apologizing would need to be almost essential in keeping our awkward relationship at least partially intact.

"You're not going back to your room?" Rin's voice snaps me out of thought. The armless girl looks at me as if she was trying to decipher something.

"I, uh, I don't know. I feel like I should apologize..."

"That ankle thing wasn't made up?"

"...No, it wasn't." I roll my good eye. Was she still doubting me? Well, considering I was carrying Hanako bridal style, it might come out as fishy. "Thanks for helping me out, by the way."

"Not a problem." Rin shrugs, or at least it looks as if she's shrugging. Hard to tell when she lacks arms. "Emi's been looking for you."

"What?"

"She's been nagging Hisao all day long. Tomorrow's your turn."

"Oh no no no no no. I'm not going to become a part of track and field club."

"Do you like making cute girls cry?" The sudden, apparently not related question catches me off guard.

"W-what?"

"Emi will totally start crying if you reject her kind offer." I'm not sure if Rin is now being serious... But the thought of making any of those six girls cry doesn't seem right. Then again, she didn't seem like the type to pull off something like that... Or did she?

"...Alright." I groan the response. "Where can I find her?"

"At the track, of course." Rin rolls her eyes, stating the obvious. "Get up early. She's practicing on some barbaric time of day. Early morning." Huh. Well, that's probably one of the reasons to not participate... Still... I suppose I can give it a shot. "Bring your sport attire." No, I will come there in my pajamas.

"Sure." I nod after some hesitation. Tezuka smiles slightly.

"Well, later. Perhaps I could use some help with the mural..." She nods back, turns on her heel and leaves.

Hm. I suppose I should wait for Hanako now. Then again... Should I really? I mean, I feel like it's imperative, but... What does she feel?

Weird. I don't think I cared so much for anyone in here so far, not even for Misha. How should I perceive it?

She finally comes out with a cane to help her move around. Me still being around the infirmary apparently surprises her as she just stares at me for a while before shying away.

"I thought I might escort you back..." I start, scratching the back of my head. "It's dark already..." I know it's a lame excuse, but I just don't feel it would be right to leave her on her own. You can never be sure what might happen... Or I'm just too paranoid.

"T-there's no need." She responds, looking away.

"No, I think I should do at least that. I wanted to apologize. I'm being meddlesome, probably even right now... But I don't know how can I repay you for unpleasantness I caused. It's pretty much all I can do.

"Y-you're being t-too harsh for yourself..." She closes a bit to me and smiles. "B-but okay." I think I smiled as well. I hold out my hand for her.

"May I?" She nods and extends her burned hand. Even when scarred, it's extremely soft.

The two of us walk back to girls' dorms.

"I shall be off then." I say, making a small bow. "Until tomorrow morning." She smiles slightly. I turn on my heel and am about to leave when suddenly I can hear her voice once again.

"C-Casper..." She speaks up with some hesitation. I turn back to see her showing a truly honest smile. "T-thank you for... today."

"Don't mention it." I respond lightly. "Sleep well, Hanako." I bow once more and head to my own dorms.

* * *

Phew. It's past ten already. Thankfully I didn't get caught by anyone. I only hope Hanako had managed to reach her room as well.

Phew. All in all, a long day. A nice day... More days like that would be nice... And then, a knock at the door.

A shadow of fear creeps upon my face. Did I lock them? I rush to the door to make sure. Yes. Thankfully... But who it might be? It can be Misha... But would she risk getting here after curfew? If not her, then it might be either Kenji or Hisao... But do I want to open the door? If it really is Misha, I might get raped and it's the last thing I want...

**[]Open the door.**

**[]Ignore it.**

* * *

**Readers, I give you your first choice. :) Choose wisely as it will most likely affect a larger part of the story. Other than that, Read and Review as always.**


	9. Act 1, Part 8: Cameras and Prosthesis

**Four votes to open the door. Very well then.**

* * *

Alright, I suppose opening the door won't hurt. If that's Misha, I can always slam it right before her and pray she won't overpower me. If that's Hisao or Kenji, I suppose they have some valid reason to haunt me, at least in former's case.

The knocking intensifies. I start thinking. Could it be someone else than those three? Well, it most certainly isn't Rin, unless she's banging her head at inhuman speeds. The thought makes me chuckle at first, then I start feeling terrible. Eh. I doubt it's Lilly or Hanako either. They don't really have a reason to come here. There's Shizune, but why would she be here? Finally, Emi. I think out of those people her reason would be the most logical... But then again, if I'm supposed to meet her tomorrow, what would her business be here? Besides, I doubt any of those even know where is my room...

So... Misha, Kenji or Hisao. Most likely in that order of probability. Sighing, I unlock the door, revealing... someone completely, completely different.

The girl before me looks incredibly like Hanako, but her hair does not cover her face in any way and it's more blue-ish rather than purple-ish. Her chest is also almost completely flat, but that's not an observation I should even mention. She's carrying a small camera with her and is clothed quite casually, not being in her school uniform.

"Oh..." She notices my face and looks away for a second before looking back with some certain degree of difficulty. "Good evening... Aren't you in my class?"

"Oh really now?" I doubt any girl would knock to your room after curfew just to ask that. That camera perhaps has something to do with the appropriate question.

"You're Casper... Stra-to-a-vis." She has some difficulty spelling my last name properly, but eh. "My name is Misaki Kawana." The blue-haired girl introduces herself, making a small bow. "I'm sorry for disturbing you that late, but... uh, would you happen to have spare pair of batteries?"

What.

"...You're not carrying a spare pair with you?" I asked, perhaps a little too harsh. Misaki looked away, a little shame-faced.

"I'm a bit short on supplies." She responded, making a small awkward laugh to cover up her own embarrassment.

"Besides, isn't that a bit too late for you to sneak anywhere? Especially to boys' dorm?"

"H-hey!" The girl before me burns red. "That's mean!"

"Sorry. I'm usually mean to people who disturb me that late." I manage a small smile. "Eh, no worries. I think I should have a spare. You can come in if you want to."

"I don't think it's..."

"In case someone decides to check local surroundings for some reason. My hallmate is a bit paranoid." I think it was enough to convince her. "For our own well-being, please come in." She nods uneasily and does so.

The question is, do I really have those batteries anywhere?

"So, what's the reason you're around that late?" I ask. Thankfully I didn't manage to shift into my pajamas this time so the embarrassment is a bit lesser than it used to be in Misha's case.

"Oh... I'm a part of photography club..." She says in response, sitting on bed.

"That's not really a reason."

"Of course it's a reason." Misaki seems bewildered by my apparent ignorance. "You can't make night photos at daylight, right?" She adds with a smile. I think I smiled too.

"Yeah. My bad. Finding the batteries might take me a while though... Do you want juice or something?"

"Yes, please." I hand her a small glass of apple juice. It's good to have your own supplies for a rainy day. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I respond, going back to rummaging through my things in search of those blasted batteries. "Didn't know we have a photography club in here."

"...I, uh, I don't really flaunt it." ...Did she say "I"? I turn to look at her.

"You're the only member, aren't you?" She promptly. "Well, that sucks big time. Why's that?"

"I don't know... Maybe people just don't like that. Maybe they're finding it too boring."

"Eh, I'm sure someone will help you out eventually. By the way... Have you asked in other rooms?"

"Oh yes. That other new guy – Hisao Nakai, I think – said that he doesn't have those. And in another room there was no response." Was Kenji sleeping like a log or did he choose to simply wait out the mysterious knocking? Eh, who cares?

"Ah, there they are." I hand Misaki a pair of Duracells.

"Oh, great." She almost instantly ejects the old batteries, hides them into pocket of her shirt and putting the new ones instead. "Thank you very much."

"Don't mention it. They should endure a bit." Misaki finishes her juice and stands up.

"Well, I need to be off. Thanks for that and all." She nods goodbye and is about to leave when she turns on her heel. "Thank you again."

"You're welcome. Remind me to buy a supply of batteries so you can come here more often." I response jokingly. The blue-haired girl smiles as she closes the door.

I'm tired.

* * *

And so, yesterday was my third day in this school. Today's biggest attraction is... running around like a cretin. Whoop-de-do.

It took me some time to find an appropriate clothing, but I finally got it. It still remembers the times of my junior high. I didn't really change ever since, apart from becoming slightly lankier and slightly stronger. It's a red soccer shirt from artificial stuff with a number "13" on it. Just under said number there's my misspelled surname(I never got the correct shirt) "Stradivarius". There are also black shorts, along with the same number on them, just at the end of the leg. I don't think it would be a problem to keep it.

As expected, at such barbaric hour there's no one around. I suppose Lilly could get up that early, but other than her... Well, there's that one runt who forced me to be awake at 5 A.M.

As I approach the track, I can hear the systematic sound of something clicking. Oh right, she has prosthesis. Perhaps that's why it sounds like that. Hisao is nowhere to be seen... He didn't show up? Traitor.

Emi's silhouette stops as she notices me.

"Hi there!" She greets me cheerfully.

"Morning. I was supposed to appear here today." I response to her cheerful greeting, perhaps a little too cold. "Here I am then."

"Great." There's an actual sincerity in Emi's voice. Incredible. "Well, ready for running?"

"No." I respond before I can bite my long tongue. She tilts her head sideways.

"No?"

"I mean... I'm not really a sport person. Most likely I'll give up on second or third lap."

"You can always train. Training, training and training."

"It's not that easy." Then I realize I'm talking about this to a person who lost both of her legs. "Bbut I think I can give it a try."

"That's the spirit!" Either she's oblivious to my skepticism or pretends she doesn't hear anything. "Think you can best me?"

"Why would I try?" I respond with a question. "Don't get me wrong. I can run a lap or two, but I don't really plan to come here often. I'm just not that kind of person." The girl with twintails pouts.

"Hey, maybe you'll like it?" She still tries to muster some optimism. I cannot hide the groan.

"...Sure I will." I enter the track, letting an audible crack from my neck. Then, one from my fingers. Then, one from my left leg. Yeah, my aerodynamics are top-notch.

Emi hops a little in place, her prosthesis springing. I can't help but think those give her some sort of advantage over "standard" runners, as cynical as it sounds. Prosthesis do not tire and perhaps aren't as breakable as bones.

We start running. She almost immediately darts forward in a full sprint, leaving me in the dirt. Crap. She's good. Not wanting to be any worse, I order my muscles to actually stop screwing around and move.

I can be a pretty good sprinter if I want to or if there's something that motivates me, say, a rottweiler on my tail. Back in junior high school, my method of getting back for another jolt of short sprint was to hit myself a few times in the chest. Somehow, it really worked, even if only for a brief while.

Here, however, I'm pitted against an opponent who won't slow down, won't resign, won't hesitate. I'm against a machine covered in skin and muscle.

Challenge accepted.

One hit, second, third, fourth. Works as good as ever. I manage to shorten the distance between Emi and me. The problem is, she still runs at that insane pace which I have no hopes of matching. The only hope I have is to outrun her in those bursts, as impossible as it sounds. I, however, like challenges.

Another hit. I'm starting to run out of the air. No matter, I still have enough of it to catch up with her. Six, seven, eight, nine, ten... That wasn't a good idea, but to hell with that! If I'm in, I might as well be all-in. Eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth... I'm just behind her... Fourteenth... I actually manage to catch up with her... Fifteenth... And overtake her. Yeah!

"Your shoelace's flying around!" She almost shouts. Oh no, I'm not falling for that. I speed up a little bit more. "I'm serious, dammit!" Oh yeah? Well, I suppose a brief glance will not hurt as long as I manage to be the leader of this race.

Turns out, it really is. Just a second later I find myself tripping over it.

Bollocks.

With a loud THUD! I roll a bit forwards, pretty much screaming in pain. Thankfully I took my glasses off before attempting a run. That still won't stop my face from hurting like a bitch.

"Sonuva...!" I only manage to utter before going back to incoherent outcries. It's bleeding, it's bleeding profusely, painting the track red.

"Holy crap, are you alright?!" Emi stops near me, looking pretty panicky. I suppose she has a reason for it. She most likely doesn't know how that carapace worked.

Being accidentally smacked in a tram by someone is one thing. Rolling well over five or even ten meters of gritty track is a completely another matter.

"Hurts like a bitch." I manage to murmur.

"Can you stand up?" She asks me. It takes me a while to nod and slowly rise myself from bloody track. I ostensibly touch the now shattered carapace of coagulated blood and promptly wince at the sudden jolt of anguish. Crap. It will take a while for it to reform.

"Do I look bad?"

"You want me to be honest or nice?"

"Honest."

"Yeah." To be honest, this small exchange makes me chuckle. Emi appears confused now.

"My friends from old school used to use that statement whenever I crashed into something." I explain, wincing slightly from pain. So much as touching it will now result in another scream, so for now I'll just resort to bleeding from half of my face.

"Shit... How can you be so calm about it?" She seems impressed. Then again, I didn't really expect such a language coming from her. I imagine Shizune would swear an awful lot.

"Used to it. Happens every once in a while... Usually when I somersault over my bike." I respond. "Still hurts a ton, but... It's nothing really."

"Half of your face is bleeding, dammit!"

"It's more about the – gack – the impact. Once you get over the initial pain... You're free to go, even if it becomes uncomfortable after a while."

"Oh..." She doesn't seem convinced.

"That being said, I could use a handkerchief."

* * *

Emi insisted that I go visit the Nurse and it was futile trying to convince her that I'm perfectly fine. At least she was nice enough to accompany me there.

I think Nurse's smile faltered a bit. Impressive.

"How...?" He starts.

"I tripped and hit the ground." I respond truthfully. "Happens every once in a while. I'll just need a handkerchief."

Then, Nurse insisted I stayed for a small inspection. Oh well. It still is more than enough time for me to get myself together, eat something and head to class.

"So... This carapace can crumble even under the slightest of pressures?" He asks me.

"Pretty much. It can also melt down when soaked with some liquid."

"I see. I don't think it was included in your chart." I shrug. "Well, it really doesn't seem like something serious." He goes back to his usual smile. "Just be more careful and tie your shoelaces more precisely." I think I groaned.

Emi still looks worried. She looks even cuter when she's worried. Strange.

"I'm fine, Miss Ibarazaki, I'm fine." I say jokingly, this time masking my wince perfectly. She seems at least slightly cheered up by this as she smiles.

"Good to know. I really thought it's something serious." She responds.

"Nah, I'm hard to kill." I snicker silently. "Well, gotta get changed and eat something. See you around." As I'm about to turn on my heel and leave, I hear Emi's voice once again.

"Wait." I look at her curiously. "Hey, are you up for a lunch today? Made by yours truly." She adds, as if this would somehow convince me to join.

What convinces me is that I'll be able to avoid certain pink-haired someone for another hour of free time.

"Count me in." I respond. "Shall I bring something or...?"

"Please, I've already have everything for everyone." I think I frowned a bit. "Everyone"?

"...Who else is invited, if I may ask?"

"Apart from us two there will be Rin..." Oh great. "Miki..." Huh. This must be one of her friends from her class. "And two of her friends... How were they called? Suzu Suzuki and Molly something..." Alarm bells ring in my head. Suzu? The narcoleptic girl? So then Molly's the Indian girl with leg prosthesis... But Miki? I don't recall anyone like that... But if the logic of this list is to be believed, she's from our class. Who would she be then? Someone athletic, I suppose... That girl with brownish skin and one hand looked pretty fit. "I was going to invite Hisao, but he didn't show up..." Twintails girl adds with a small pout. I manage an awkward chuckle.

"Maybe he couldn't make it. I can send him an invitation."

"Can you? That would be great." Emi smiles. I smile as well.

Perhaps it's just me, but the prospect of being surrounded by no less than five girls is a little... unsettling. Makes you feel like one of those harem show protagonists... Should Hisao show up, it would evened things a bit.

That is, if Misha and Shizune are not planning on dragging him somewhere to do more of their Student Council work.

...Now that I think of it, would Misha let me go three times in a row?

"W-well, thanks for invitation." I say, nodding. "In that case... See you on lunch break."

"Yup. See you around." She responds with a wide smile.

Why all those people are so nice to me, I will probably never know.

* * *

**Well, there you go. It feels a bit unfinished, but I'll be honest, I couldn't come up with anything better for this chapter. Anyway, read and review and stay tuned for more. :)**


	10. Act 1, Part 9: Problematic Topics

**Well, here we go again. I think I'll let you guys have another choice soon.**

* * *

So, I've been just invited on big lunch with five other girls, three of which are from my class. Should Hisao decline for some reason, I'll be surrounded by them like a victim at the mercy of its predators.

...Or maybe I'm just imagining things.

I enter the classroom. It's still pretty empty in here. So far the only people inside are Taro, casually snoring in his place, the girl next to him, Misaki – large bags under her eyes have been noted – Shizune and Misha. Almost like she were under some sort of an alarm magic, pink-haired girl locks eyes with mine the moment I pass near their line of desks.

"Caschan." There's some strange note in her voice... I don't like it. The fact that she appears so serious also isn't something I'd call good for me. The matter must be really big. "Can we talk?" I can't say I didn't expect it. I've been avoiding her so much as two days already.

"Sure thing, Misha." I respond. She leads me out of the classroom, urging me to go somewhere. I reluctantly look at my cellphone. Well, it's still almost half an hour before the lessons start. Now that I think of it, why the hell would you want to appear here so early?

She invites me to some strange room I don't recall being into before. It's quite spacious, filled with desks and chairs... It looks awfully big.

"Well, what is it?" I ask. I think I know what will she say now.

"You've been avoiding me." The accusation in her voice is nothing like I've heard from her before. It's a mixture of pain, wrath and sadness... It's so not like Misha.

Then again, Misha herself proved to be more than meets the eye.

"A little, yeah." I suppose there's no point trying to wriggle myself out of this. Honesty time. "Is it that bad?"

"It hurts."

"I don't think I understand." There's a sad smile on her face for a brief moment.

"I thought... Maybe a little naively... That maybe..."

"I think we've settled it already, Misha." I look her in the eyes. She looks away. "You yourself said we're friends... And nothing more."

"...Yeah." There's a very weak laughter from her side as she begins to walk away. I'm not stopping her. She, however, stops just as she's about to leave the room.

"...I want to apologize." What? That catches me off guard.

"Huh? For what?"

"For lying to you. About myself." ...What?

"W-what do you mean?"

"When I mentioned me being... uh, such active when it comes to visiting people..."

"...Why?"

"...I, uh... I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

Uh-huh. So in order to not weird me out as much, you claimed to be a local sex fiend. Very smooth, Misha.

"...I see." She then turns to leave for real... But something tells me to stop her.

"Misha. Wait." She stops. "Come here, please." She hesitates for a long time before finally turning back at me and closing a bit. It takes some courage from my side, but I manage to pull her into surprise hug. There's a longer moment of silence, both from me and from her. I'm pretty certain she's happy now even if she doesn't show it. "I want you to know that I still think of you as my friend. If you will ever need help, please tell me. I don't want to see you cry." Misha, quite awkwardly, hugs me back. We stay like that for a while.

"Thank you..." She whispers right into my ear, resting her head on my chest.

"Cheer up, okay?" I take her face in my hands. "I promise I'll be there on this lesson of chopsticks holding after school, alright?"

"Alright." For the first time today, Shiina smiles genuinely.

* * *

Well, it is time for me to arrive on lunch, alone. As much as I wanted to ask Hisao about joining, he wasn't at school during morning. Weird. Usually he wasn't the one to skip out the lessons. Maybe he's got a cold or something? I suppose I can come to check on him after that private lesson with Misha.

Heh. "Private lesson". Why my head is so full of dirty thoughts sometimes, I do not know.

Now that I think of it, wasn't I supposed to meet with Lilly on lunch with her and Hanako today? Crap. I don't want to sound like an ass... On the other hand, as much as I'm opposed to the concept of being surrounded by females, socializing with people, especially with those from your class is an important thing. I suppose I could take a lunch with them tomorrow. Maybe I'll be able to get Hisao as well.

"Hanako?" I speak up quietly to the girl next to me. There's some progress as she didn't shy away like it was the last time when I asked her about what our Maths teacher said.

"Y-yes?" She responds.

"Look, I, uh... We were going to meet on lunch with Lilly today..."

"Oh... That... U-uh, I'm afraid we c-cannot."

We cannot?

"What do you mean?"

"Lilly c-called me on phone... She said she's s-sick. She has a cold a-and..."

"Oh... I see..." Well, that takes care of two lunches overriding each other, as cynical as it may sound. Suddenly, an idea comes to my mind. "So... What are you doing during lunch break?" She hesitates a bit.

"I, uh... I-I think I'll go to the library..." Should I invite her? She's not exactly the most sociable person around, especially around people she barely knows. Yeah, Miki, Suzu and Molly are from her class and I'll be there as well, but then again... Nah. I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Oh. I see..." With that, we go back to our business.

* * *

I appeared on the roof as the second-to-last person. Emi and the trio from my class was already there.

"Hi there." The girl with twintails greets me cheerfully. Suzu also nods hello in her own, slightly detached way. The other two, however, seem slightly surprised at my sight. "Oh, I invited him." Miss Ibarazaki explains to them.

"More or less." I add, nodding. "Good morning to you, Miss Kapur, Miura-san."

"Sheesh. No need to be so formal." Miki responded, waving with her stump dismissively. Right. I forgot about how people here are so laid-back in that regard.

"Actually, this is the first time an other student calls me "Miss"..." Molly mentioned, smiling awkwardly. Well done, Mr. Stratoavis, such a wonderful first impression. You've just made the biggest dork ever out of yourself.

"Sorry for that." To be honest, I'm somewhat grateful I didn't invite Hanako in here. Not only would she feel here uncomfortable, but the thought of embarrassing myself in front of her seems a bit... icky. Most definitely pride-shattering.

"Hey, no need to apologize." Emi butts into this conversation. To be honest, I somewhat regret coming here.

"A habit of mine. So-I mean, alright..." Miki doesn't help matters, chuckling quietly.

"No matter, no matter." She responds, grinning widely. "Always nice to meet a classmate."

"That's true." I nod. Interestingly, Suzu does the same.

"I always found it funny that this place..." She starts, staring somewhere far away. "of all places is the one people so rarely."

"Huh? You mean barely anyone comes here?" I ask, slightly surprised. Blue-haired girl nods. There's a longer moment of silence... Awkward silence.

"Now that I think of it, where's Rin-in-the-bin?" Miki asks, stretching a bit. Huh. True, auburn-haired girl is not here.

"She mentioned she'll be late." Emi responded, sighing. "She didn't specify how much late though, so..."

"Will we be waiting for her?" I ask, perhaps a little too selfish. Thankfully, the others don't seem to mind.

"Well, of course! Dig in, everyone!" Twintails girl grins as she opens her box of bento...

Alert. Chopsticks.

Thankfully I brought something of my own work as well. It's a couple of simple sandwiches, but they will suffice.

"A sandwich?" Molly seems vaguely surprised.

"Yeah." I respond, perhaps a little too fast. "I'm not the biggest fan of bentos. They just sort of don't fit with my tastes."

"Oh, I see." Despite the cheerful atmosphere, there's still an incredible awkwardness in the air. Is it because I'm the only guy in here? Or maybe it's because my disability is so disconcerting? Emi wears leg prosthesis, true, but covers them up with thigh-high socks. Miki's stump in place of her missing hand is noticeable, but can be easily hidden, say, in a pocket. Suzu's narcolepsy isn't even apparent, apart from her constant yawning and bags under her eyes. Weird. I thought a narcoleptic actually sleeps well. Molly also misses legs, but this doesn't seem to concern her that much as she doesn't wear any coverage on her prosthesis. There's Rin, but for now she's absent...

Leaving only me and my deformed mug.

"So, uh..." I swear, it's just like that lunch with Lilly and Hanako. Again, the levels of awkwardness are too high to be even measured. If that's the case, I need to break said awkwardness somehow. Back then, we've managed to find a topic all three of us(or maybe just me and Hanako) enjoyed. Okay, deep breaths, big guy. You're surrounded by four cute girls, but that doesn't mean you have to act like an idiot. Relax. Think about... something relaxing. "How did you end up here?" It's the first question that comes to my mind and, dear God, that was the worst possible question I could ask. I feel my cheek burning red. The silence doesn't help matters.

"Well, I guess we can be honest on that matter." Miki breaks the curtain, grinning. "I mean, the question was as subtle as a rhino, but you're a new guy, so it's forgiven. Am I right?"

"I dunno. I don't mind." Suzu responds, shrugging and putting a small piece of fish in her mouth. Her moves are slow and very, very calculated.

"Sure." Molly nods. "To be honest, I'm quite curious about..." She doesn't finish, but I know what is she talking about. I glance briefly at Emi who gives me a slight smile. Guess she's okay with it too.

"Since you're the one who brought the topic up, you will start." Miki's thinking makes sense.

"Shouldn't we going with the good old rule "Ladies first"?" I respond jokingly.

"We're not ladies, just a bunch of cool gals." Dark-skinned girl grins smugly.

Haha. So funny.

"Alright. Well, I'll be quick and stuff." I clear my throat. "Sulfuric acid. Psychotic ex-girlfriend."

"Ouch..." Emi seems to be the most moved out of all people here. "That must have sucked." No, it was fine and dandy, dammit. Of course it sucked.

"Yeah, it did. But it's okay now. In most cases." I'm quite sure twintails girl still remembers what happened yesterday on track. A small shudder does not go unnoticed by me. The others, thankfully, seem focused on me. Not sure if I should be glad because of it. "Anyway, I'm finished. How about you?"

"Myself, I lost the hand in an accident. A dog bit me and, well, he had quite a grip. He didn't quite bitten it off, but the damage was sufficient enough for an amputation. Thankfully, I'm not a lefty, so I'm faring quite good." I shudder. I am left-handed and a prospect of losing left hand is something I can only describe as unbearable. Actually, losing any hand or any leg would have similar effect. I don't even want to imagine how awfully my manual abilities would be impaired.

"I was diagnosed with narcolepsy when I was eight... or maybe nine, I dunno. Anyway..." Suzu clears her throat. "It's not that bad. I can sleep through lessons and they let me get away with it most of the time." She giggles, amused. "Besides, as long as I have something to do, I can avoid sleep."

"It doesn't sound that bad..." I respond.

"Actually, it's a serious thing. I can fall asleep everywhere and at any time. Not a biggie if I just fall asleep in class, but while, say, walking down stairs..." Ouch. I cringe a bit.

"I see your point." A small nod from my side and my eyes switch at Molly. Initially she looks away, but gets better just a few seconds later.

"I, uh... I was born like that." She says and there's a notable hint of embarrassment in her voice. Nothing to be ashamed about, this stuff happens... Then again, at least you're better accustomed to this than me or Miki. It's always like that. There's a longer moment of silence as all eyes turn in Emi's direction.

"A car accident." She responds quite lightly. "Took me a whole year to relearn how to walk straight." There's something bitter in her giggle and, well, that doesn't seem very surprising to me.

Wait. A whole year?

"...So you're year older than us?" I ask, slightly surprised.

"Yup." She nods quickly. For all it's worth, she looks like sixteen at best. Those Japanese, they never cease to amaze me.

"By the way, Casper... You're not from here, are you?" Suzu states the obvious, but because it's Suzu I guess I can tolerate that.

"Yeah. Half-German, Half-Polish, born and raised in Hamburg, Germany. Moved to Tokyo and after the incident, here." I recite on one breath. "Europe is a fun place. A different one than here."

"What do you mean?" I think it was Molly who asked the question, although I'm not quite sure.

"Oh, the cultural difference. Here, people are in most cases nice to each other. Back there... Not quite. No matter." I take a bite out of my sandwich. "I wonder where Rin is, to be honest." Emi appears worried and my words only strengthen the effect. "Shouldn't she be here?"

"She usually takes long... But this?" Molly also seems worried.

"Maybe let's go and look for her?" Miki suggests, getting up.

"A nice idea it is." I respond, nodding.

* * *

There are still twenty minutes to the end of lunch break, but Rin just cannot be found. People asked all said: Dunno. Emi starts to look panicky and I must say, it's getting contagious. So far, only me and Suzu preserve any kind of calmness, though in latter's case it might be just her narcolepsy.

Rin is nowhere to be found. We look everywhere Emi mentioned that auburn-haired girl likes to be. It's like she disappeared.

"This is bad. This is so very bad..." Petite blonde is on the verge of some minor breakdown and it isn't something I would like to see. Miki and Molly also look pretty nervous.

"Are you sure we've checked everywhere?" I ask once more.

"Yes. Everywhere... I don't know, I don't know where is she..." A few more seconds and I swear, she will start biting her nails off.

"Saki might know." Miki mentions offhandedly, trying her best to look cool. I think I raised my eyebrow. A new person?

"You think? She's knowledgeable, but Rin isn't exactly your standard issue person to find."

"It's worth trying." Molly adds, forcing a small smile. Emi lets out a small sigh.

"Alright then. To the art room!" Huh. So that Saki person is an artist, just like Rin. I suppose that makes sense if she knew where the armless girl might be. Then again, isn't Emi supposed to be Rin's best friend? If she does not know... Why someone else would?

I guess we'll see once we talk to that Saki. Perhaps she's this weird kind of person who knows exactly what's going on and stuff.

I hope.

* * *

**It was a long time since my last update, but here you go. :) Hope you liked it. Read and review, as always. :)**


	11. Act 1, Part 10: Movement

**Let us go further. I think Act 1 will be finishing soon... After that, who knows? Romance? Bromance? Friendship? We'll see.**

* * *

The art room is just as I expected it to be: Cluttered, disorganized and chaotic, just like an average artist. On the contrary, the person who I presume is Saki is anything but chaotic. She's of average height, sitting in front of the only clean desk in the room and appears to sort documents. As expected of Yamaku Academy, she's quite pretty. Having a hair of light brown color and similar eyes, she greets us with a warm smile. Curiously, she wears earrings and happens to be the first person in here to do so.

"Hey, Enomoto-san..." Emi greets her and for some reason does so quite insecurely. Weird.

"Oh, good morning to all of you." She greets back. It is when she notices me. A curious glance appears for a brief second in her eyes. I make a small bow, out of habit. "Is there a way I can help you?"

"We were wondering if you would happen to know where Rin is." Molly says. A warm smile vanishes like a sand castle hit with a wave.

"...Yes, I do know. Nomiya-sensei wanted to talk to her." She responds and, judging from her reluctant expression and tone of voice, this isn't exactly something we should be happy about.

"Crap." It's all that comes from Emi's mouth. She really appears to be genuinely worried. "...Do you know how long...?"

"They are in there for at least half an hour." A longer moment of silence.

"Guess I'll just wait for her here. Is that alright?"

"I see no problem in this." Perhaps it's just me, but Saki's manner of speech is... odd. It is polite and refined, like Lilly's, but something seems to be missing.

"Guess we should be leaving..." Suzu mentions offhandedly, letting a small yawn. "Lessons are about to start. No offense, Emi."

"Sure. Thanks anyway, you helped tons." Twintails girl forces a small smile. Molly and Miki nod slightly and along with Suzu they depart, presumably back to class. That leaves only me, Emi and Saki in the room. "You're not going with them?" Blonde asks me, mildly surprised.

"It's still ten minutes. If something, I'll just tell Mutou I got lost." I respond with a slight smile which, however, disappears just a moment later. "To be honest, I'm worried too. What's with that Nomiya character?" Saki sighs.

"He's an overseer of art club and also happens to be our homeroom teacher." She explains. "He really values Rin's pictures' artistic quality, but I can't help but think he's putting too much pressure on her." Putting pressure on Rin? The prospect of Rin caring about some kind of form seems unlikely to me. "It is like he wasn't caring about her, but about the art she creates."

"So basically he's a prick."

"More or less." Emi nods. "A complete and utter prick."

"He's a teacher, correct?"

"...Yeah." There we go. No matter how much of an asshole that Nomiya is, we can even touch him if he's in such a position.

Suddenly, the door in the back of the room open and out goes Rin alongside with some middle-aged man who I assume is mentioned art teacher. He's wide, wears a campy suit and John Lennon-esque pink glasses. Perfect attire for his position, especially in such an unusual place as Yamaku. Without further ado, he grins and promptly leaves the room.

"Oh. Hey." Rin greets us. She's apparently surprised that we're here.

"...You have forgotten about the lunch today, haven't you?" Emi's concern washes away and is replaced by minor irritation.

"A lunch? We're not dating." Rin responds in a Rin way, causing twintails girl to blush and me and Saki to chuckle.

"What? T-that's not what I meant!" I'm surprised she would react in such a way. Oh well. This place has many strange things. Not everything is what it seems to be.

"You clearly mentioned lunch. Am I missing something?" Rin's eyebrows raise slightly. She seems unaware of emotions she may cause. Now that I think of it, it's both amusing and disturbing.

"Nevermind, nevermind." Emi lets out a small sigh. "We should be off. Nomiya doesn't take kindly when people are late, even you." Auburn-haired girl nods slightly. "Well..." Twintails girl addresses me now. "Thanks for the lunch. It was nice."

"It's me who should thank you for invitation." I respond with a slight smile.

"You're welcome." Emi smiles back. "See you another time." And with that, she leads Rin out of the room, leaving here only me and Saki. With a swift movement I take out the cellphone out of my pocket. It's still ten minutes.

The brief moment of silence makes me realize that Saki said that Nomiya is also her homeroom teacher. Shouldn't she be on her way to class as well? I take a brief glance at her. She's done with sorting the documents and is currently sipping something from a red mug adorned with an inscription saying "A cripple, but sexy". Huh. Guess this is what I couldn't find in her when comparing her to Lilly. Lilly's serious, more, hm, official. I suppose she has her moments of childishness too. Saki, however... She seems extremely cool with whatever disability she has. It's just that I notice that her hand is shaking a bit, making it difficult for her to actually drink from the mug. I find myself staring at her hand, which is something I shouldn't be doing because...

"Can I help you?" ...because she will take notice and you will awkward. Great work.

"Oh no no, my bad. I just... got lost in thought." I respond a little bit too fast. She smiles and puts the mug away.

"You are one of the newcomers from Suzu's class, correct?" She asks. I nod in response. She gets up and that's when I notice that she had a cane next to her desk all the time. This one is bigger than the one Lilly's using, most likely used to help you walking around rather than just navigating. Conclusion? Saki's got some problem with motor function. "I don't think we've been properly introduced to each other. Saki Enomoto."

"Casper Stratoavis. A pleasure to meet you, Enomoto-san." I respond with a small bow. Suddenly, she grins.

"A foreigner? It's been ages since any of them appeared here." She seems excited. Now that I think of it, most people I've meet didn't really were surprised at my height, my Caucasian features or anything of the sort, baring maybe Hisao at the very beginning. All that was important was the disfigured face and even then just some of the people, like Hanako or Misaki, took notice of this in any noticeable way.

"Nothing to see in Europe, to be honest." I respond with a small chuckle.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." Saki walks up to me, holding her cane firmly. The other hand is still shaking, though not to the extent it used to. "Would it be much of a trouble if I ask you for assistance on my way to classroom?" She asks with a smile.

"No offense, Enomoto-san, but I should be on my way. Being a new student or not, Mutou will still have my way with me."

"What about you getting lost?" She responds with a giggle. You have me here. Well, I guess it won't hurt. She seems nice enough to have a small talk with.

"Very well then." I respond with a slight smile. Quite surprising, for someone who walks with a cane, she rapidly appears on my right and leaning a bit on me, smiling. I'm not really into intimacy, especially after the incident with Misha, but... for some reason, it feels strangely pleasant. Maybe it's because I'm helping someone out rather than just a touch. Still... It's awkward. Saki notices that I'm feeling at least uncomfortable.

"Oh come on, will you deny a cripple a hand?" She asks teasingly. Haha. So very funny, woman.

* * *

I should have noticed something's not right the moment we exited the school and headed towards the park on school grounds. Guess I'm not a fan of Japanese history. Besides, Saki's just so fun to talk to. She's like a combination of everything best from others I've met so far. It's just so... unrealistic. She always smiles, but the smile isn't as obnoxious as Emi's. She's refined, yet in a relaxed, laid-back way not unlike Lilly. She's cheerful, but not annoyingly cheerful like Misha... I could go on and on.

I knew it's just too good. There had to be some sort of bad news. Something negative about her. Turns out... I was right and this rightness hit me right in the nads. With a sledgehammer.

"Spinocerebellar ataxia?" I ask, hearing her mention her disability. If there's something I know about disabilities, then it's the one thing: The longer the name, the more troublesome the disability is.

"Yes." She nods. We're sitting on a bench in a park, looking at the sky. It's cloudy today. "It's a genetic disease. Makes one lose control over their muscles and it's, unfortunately, incurable."

"Oh... That's pretty b-" I start, but she cuts me off.

"The only thing it can do is to progress. It will eventually start resulting in the ill being unable to move, eat, drink or breathe." The matter-of-fact tone she states it makes me think she really doesn't seem to mind the fact that she's on borrowed time. I, on the other hand, took the news like a pedestrian hit by a car.

"...Shit."

"No, it's quite okay." Saki smiles slightly. "It's not about how long do you live, but how exactly will you live. I'd rather do something big than just sit and do nothing for a longer time."

...My disability really is tame, isn't it? Then again, she's the first person here that _will_ die. Not might die, _will_ die. Hisao's heart can still be cured, I think. Saki has no such luxury... And yet... And yet she's so okay with it. She just accepts it. It's... weird.

"Stratoavis-san?" Her voice breaks me out of thought. I must be looking weird right now, face deformation notwithstanding. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I think. It's just that... Shit... I... I don't even curse that much, but..."

"You're worried. That's only natural." I swear, she's some sort of paragon. A female Jesus or something. "You don't have to worry though. Sometimes we just can't have things we desire."

"You're so optimistic. Outgoing, cheerful. Hell, you're in an art club despite the fact your hands are shaking. You take the bull by its horns despite the fact the bull itself overpowers you and pins you to the wall, ready to squash you into nothingness... It's weird."

"I get that a lot, but not to such poetic degree." She responds with an upbeat laughter.

"I don't find it funny in the slightest, Saki. No, really... I don't." There's a longer moment of silence.

"You don't have to pity me." I do not respond, preferring to look at the cloudy sky in an attempt to buy me some time to formulate a clever response. "I want to smile. It's better to smile. I could spend the rest of my short life wailing in self-pity and loathing, but that doesn't really appeal to me." She smiles again before giving me a light punch on the shoulder. "I'd prefer to be an upbeat girl, even if some people will give me weird looks because of that."

"...Smiling requires muscles." I know it's a low blow, but the prospect of being so plucky in face of inevitable sudden death is... strange. Personally, I can't think of me being in her place. The attack hit the weak spot, Saki's smile vanished for a brief while.

"I know." She responds before letting a sigh. Another moment of silence. Just how long are we sitting here? "You're a cynic, aren't you?"

"I try my best."

"You're doing a terrible job at it." She chuckles and her smile returns back on her face. "You try so hard to view the world as a hellhole without prospects and future and yet you're a caring, gentle soul. You took your time to talk with a girl whose worldview is completely different from yours. Besides, people are talking highly of you, especially Emi."

Welp, there goes my guise.

"I guess you're right, as much as I hate to admit it..." I respond after a longer while, smiling slightly. She smiles as well. "Then again, there is some sort of magic around you, Saki. You just feel like a person one could talk to about everything."

"I try my best." She responds, echoing my words spoken just a minute ago.

* * *

Well, now that the lessons are over... It is time I fulfill the promise given to Misha.

The one thing that bothers me is that Hisao is nowhere to be found. Why's that? I'll have to ask Kenji, as much as I dislike the idea of him going into another anti-feminist rant. It's a miracle Hisao is able to just listen to this garbage Kenji spouts and be so calm.

Who knows? Perhaps even he has his borders.

Pink-haired girl awaits me in the corridor. For once, I'm actually glad to see her.

"Well, it took me some time, but here I am." I say, smiling slightly. "I am at your disposal."

"Come on, Caschan, don't itemize yourself." She responds, grinning. "I promise it will be short and sweet." Gee. Thanks for establishing that. On the other hand, Shiina most likely does things sweetly. Now that I think of it, where's Shizune? Those two are almost inseparable, most likely because Misha's our class rep's interpreter and all of that. Now, however, she seems... absent. A brief glance at bespectacled girl's figure during class indeed signalized she's up to something important.

"Say, Misha..." I ask as we're walking down the corridor. "Is there some big thing soon here, at Yamaku?"

"Yeah." She nods enthusiastically. "A festival this weekend." I think I raised the eyebrow. A festival? "There are still so many things to do and it's just a couple of days left. Shicchan is going to work herself to death. Hicchan is helping her as best as he can, but..." There a small degree of uncertainty in Misha's voice.

"So, is Student Council responsible for the festival?" ...Wait. This weekend? Now that I think of it, I recall Rin mentioning that it's _next_ weekend.

"Pretty much... Is something the matter, Caschan?" She notices my slightly worried expression.

"I think... Nah, it's nothing." I shake my head dismissively. "Don't think about it."

"Okay." She nods reluctantly, albeit she doesn't really appear convinced. What can I say?

The room Misha leads me to happens to be the same room I was with her earlier morning. Pink-haired girl jumps to one of the cupboards and take something out of it. It's a pair of chopsticks and instant noodles. I think I groaned a bit.

"Well then, let's get down to business." She says before bursting into her trademark "wahaha" laughter. This might be a long afternoon.

* * *

I will not describe what has happened in that room. Suffice to say, the rest of my pride was completely shattered by that drill-haired monster. Thankfully, we've settled that we're friends. Even if Misha was aiming for us to become an item, I don't think we would get along well. We're like fire and water, yin and yang, tiger and dragon. This wouldn't end good.

Saying goodbye to Misha and heading to my room, I feel a strange sense of fulfillment. Not sure why. Was it the talk with Saki that helped me out? Or maybe I'm really happy now that I can use chopsticks properly? Both of those? Any of those? Who knows? I'm quite certain I'm not tired like it was yesterday or two days ago. Those days also had their fair share of good things happening, but... I dunno. I'm getting involved in some weird stuff. Rendezvous with Misha, carrying Hanako to infirmary, what else? And why there are so many women in this school?

Sudden rapping to the door. Unlike this of Misha or Misaki, this one is violent, intensive, as if the person behind the door wanted to just knock them out of hinges.

Shizune. She's deaf, so it would only make sense for her to use extremely loud sounds like her trademark ear-shattering finger snap. What is she doing here that late though?

I open the door and, yes, it is our class rep. She's still in her school uniform which makes me think that she really will work herself to death while also bringing Hisao into this lethal equation. This time, however, she seems worried about something. Seeing me, she almost immediately starts signing. Huh. My sign language might as well be used as a doormat, so... I give her a gesture which boils down to "gimme a sec" and I go back to room, searching for a spare notebook and a pen. Finding this, I hand her those. She seems bemused, most likely because writing what you want to say isn't as efficient as signing it. Considering how fast she and Misha can sign, I guess this sudden slowed pace isn't pleasant at all.

Even then, she writes quickly. Class rep hands me the notebook back with a question.

[Where is Misha?]

It takes me a longer while to comprehend the message. I write back and hand her the notebook. Shizune cringes at my terrible handwriting.

[Isn't she in her room?]

[I wouldn't be here and asking you if she was.] Looking at her annoyed expression, this is probably sarcasm-tinted. The annoyed frown rapidly turns into genuine worry though.

[All I know is that we said goodbyes to each other near girls' dorm... Do you need a hand with looking for her?] She nods affirmatively. That much is clear. I nod as well.

[Do you know where she might be?] I ask her. This time, she shakes her head.

[This is so not like her... I'm worried.] I can see that, Shizune, although at least you're not hiding it. [Hisao will help too.] She adds. Well, it's always easier to find someone. [If some patrol catches us, we can always say we're doing important School Council duties.] There's a brief smile on her face.

[I'm not even a member.] I mention, although the prospect of getting away from consequences like that amuses me.

[Nobody cares.] Shizune giggles silently before reverting to her serious expression. [Be ready in next five minutes.] I nod. [We're waiting at the exit.] She probably means boys' dorms.

To be honest, I'm worried. Did Misha leave recently? Or was she going to be on her way as soon as I turned my back and left? The number of questions is... negatively staggering.

* * *

**And now, an epic quest to find Misha begins...**


	12. Act 1, Part 11: Hanging Piece

**Flashback time... And later, another choice to make.**

* * *

_I don't usually have flashbacks. I don't want to have them. All they carry with them are unpleasant images. Images I'd love to erase from my memory. Images of busy, large city that Tokyo always was, images of my former friends and classmates, images of that gray, bleak life._

_Images of her. _

_They appear sometimes, in dreams. I'm not a person to have reasonable dreams often. Most of those are a chaotic, preposterous prospects and ideas. Reality mixes with fiction in the most bizarre of ways. Video games, manga and anime, movies, things I saw on street... They don't have a meaning. They're to show me how much of a demented, twisted imagination I have. I don't mind. I actually like having such an imagination. This pseudo-insanity is always fun for me, more or less._

_When a dream starts making sense though, things turn from wacky to horrifying. _

_There was one when I was six or seven. It ended up with my death as I slipped out of a lifebuoy in the middle of an endless ocean. Suffice to say, I woke up screaming. _

_I still can't swim. At least now my parents aren't nagging me to try and learn. One small good thing that Agusu caused, drowned by dozens of bad ones. _

_I don't get it. _

_Why did we even start to going out with each other? When did it happen? How did I attract her attention? As far as I remember, I wasn't exactly the most popular guy in the school. If anything, I tried to avoid bigger crowds. That school back in Tokyo had a serious absence of foreigners. I think I was one of the few. Here, however, there's a fair share of us here, in Yamaku. _

_She wouldn't like this place. She was an obsessive, tyrannical bitch. Seeing me talking with so many girls here would make her completely flip her shit. _

_Eh. Why do I even bother with thinking about her? _

_Suddenly, another image. This one comes from the hospital. It's me. Me, right after getting hit with the acid. They've just transported me here, half of my face is bandaged. Doctors said there's a hope of saving it. Damage will be noticeable, but it will still be your face, they said._

_Lies. Lies everywhere. _

_They knew it all along. They knew there's no hope. They wanted to make me feel better. To help the teenager whose life just got turned upside down and not because of some normal, casual problem. His parents didn't die. His house didn't burn down to the ground. He wasn't kicked out of the school. Nothing of the like._

_He was the problem. _

_I can see myself. I'm unconscious, sleeping. I look... peacefully? Perhaps. Perhaps a little. Disregarding the bandage, one could think I'm just dozing off for whatever reason. _

_Another image, from some later time. This time, the bandage is removed. The boy in the flashback is looking into the mirror, assisted by a doctor. A mix of expressions cannot describe what he's experiencing now. There's disbelief, fear, happiness and sadness on that half of a face. The other one stopped expressing emotions. Now it's just curved in a twisted grin. Skeletons always keep their smile regardless of a situation._

_Because this is more or less what was left out of his half a face. A skull. Half-melted, twisted, distorted and deformed, covered with a carapace made out of blood and remains of the muscles that once were here, alive and kicking. _

_He touches what's left of his left cheek and almost immediately winces at the sudden sensation of pain. This is new to him. Yes, he had experienced the acid on his skin... But that was some time ago. And yet, it still hurts, just because he touched it, barely brushed it with the tips of his fingers. _

"_Is it really... incurable?" He asks. Doctor nods, a solemn expression on his face. He didn't keep the promise he gave the young man. _

"_...That's not a bad thing." The boy responds, but this time, something's different about him. He seems much more confident, much more... accepting of his appearance. A slight smile creeps on half of his face, twisting the whole into expression out of horror. "Actually, I think we might like it. Well, not Casper himself, but as for me..." Doctor looks at the boy quizzically, but says nothing. "I have finally awakened, Mr. Medicine." The boy grins even wider, twisting the expression to almost disgusting levels. "I moved from imagination to reality. It took me some time and I guess I should be grateful for what that certain girl did."_

"_May I have your name then?" Doctor knows something's different. Something's bad, in the air. He needed to know._

"_You may call me Nega."_

_This image suddenly disappears. I find myself surrounded by darkness. _

"_What is it, Mr. Stratoavis? You seem a bit lost." Nega's voice – my voice – echoes through the abyss I'm in. _

"_What do you want?" I respond, trying to keep my cool. It's bad enough this flashback is still on, but having a conversation with **him **will be unbearable. _

"_Nothing much. You know, a friendly chat every once in a while between good old pals." He responds, appearing just before me. He sits in a comfy sofa, clad in a white suit with a red, stained with gore. Paradoxically, while I personally hate suits and ties with passion, I think this one fits him quite well. Unlike me, his face is intact. Nega adjusts his glasses and grins. "Aren't you going to sit?" Suddenly, I can feel that my legs are losing ground and just a second later I'm sitting in a similar sofa, staring directly at what appears to be me in an awful wedding suit, dirty from all that blood. To make things funnier, I'm in my usual "casual" attire, wearing a black leather jacket up to my shins, black pants and black shirt depicting a skull with one eye. My trusty fedora is just nearby, on a small table. _

"_Alright. You've taken over, apparently." I say, trying my best to keep calm. Usually when Nega gains control over my body... Things happen. I dread to think what might possibly happen one day if he gets full of ideas._

"_Oh no. Not today. There wasn't enough of the emotional pummeling." He responds, flashing a vicious grin. "Although that Saki girl left quite a dent in your defenses." _

"_Shut your trap, jackass." I growl in response. You can be the ass to me, but don't get others involved._

"_Uncivil, aren't we?"_

"_Only for you." I think I smiled slightly. There's a brief moment of silence. I savor it. It's wonderful. It's nothing like those awkward moments when talking with Hanako, Saki and the rest. _

"_So, how are you faring so far, Mr. Stratoavis?" He asks me. Out of thin air in his hand there's a glass of wine which he begins to sip, savoring the flavor. I know he's doing this to piss me off: I hate alcohol. "How is your life so far here, in this place?"_

"_Not bad. Better than I expected." I respond, turning the fedora in my hands. _

"_So you're not against going here, to this school-themed hospital?"_

"_You can come up with better attempts of annoying me, Nega." I strike back. He blocks the jab with a slight grin. _

"_Well, for now my options are sadly limited..." He says and there's genuine disappointment in his voice. "You're indeed faring good. I'm not sure if whatever Misha did to you that night still affects you..." I roll my eyes in irritation which does not go unnoticed. "What's the matter? You friendzoned her, didn't you?" He taunts me. It's blatantly obvious and he's not even trying to be subtle. "What is the matter?"_

_Indeed, what is the matter? Occasionally, my thoughts spring back to Misha. Even after both of us agreed that friendship is the most we can allow, something is still not clicking. I don't get it. Her hairstyle is ridiculous. Her attitude is obnoxious. Her interests are nothing like mine... And yet, I feel something. _

"_Falling in love again, aren't you?" Nega chuckles before taking another sip of his wine. _

"_Don't be a cretin." I respond, shaking my head. "It's only natural one's thoughts occasionally go off the beaten path. It has nothing to do with..."_

"_Sure." He interrupts me, smiling. "Just like it has nothing to do with Emi or Hanako or Saki or any other girl here."_

"_If we're going to continue this pointless conversation, I want to make sure you won't accuse me to be gay for Hisao." _

"_You said that." Both of us chuckle. In those rare moments of unison, in those rare moments of serenity... Nega's an alright guy. As much as I hate to admit it, if he was real, we would make for nice pals. Vitriol would be everywhere, but we would get along well, occasionally being asses to each other. _

_Truth be told, I miss it a little. A small number of my classmates acted like that. We were on good terms, but that didn't stop any of us from occasional dickery towards one another. Here, such a thing is either nonexistent or exists in very small doses and only in certain groups. _

_...Yet another weirdness of Yamaku. I think I should be used to it already. _

_Suddenly, there's a table between us. On said table there's a chess set._

"_I was wondering... Now that you have finally paid me a visit, how about we celebrate it somehow?" Nega reverts to his attitude of an A-Class Asshole, flashing a smug grin. _

"_Chess?" I only respond with a question. _

"_Sure thing." He nods, snapping his fingers. He got black ones, I got white ones. I don't like playing whites. I guess it comes from my overly "edgy" nature. _

_...Sometimes, I wonder... I wonder why am I doing all of this. Saki's right. I'm trying my best to be a cynical jackass and yet I come out as an affable dork at worst. _

"_This has nothing to do with...?" I start my question, but bite my tongue the moment Nega shoots me an amused look. _

"_No fries." Oh. Haha. So fuckin' funny, you cock. "No gimlets or poor quality leg either." Why do you keep mentioning those three? I get Misha one, it got out of hand. I sort of get Hanako one, what's with me carrying her to infirmary, even if this one sounds farfetched. Saki one however? We did so much as talk to each other about things. She clung to me, but that was to help her out with moving... I think._

"_I see you're becoming doubtful. Good." Nega grins. "Shall we be starting then?" I take a glance at his chess figures. They're not a standard set, that's for sure. If anything, they seem to be lookalikes straight out of DMC4. Scarecrows as Pawns, Mega Scarecrows as Rooks, Frosts as Knights, Mephistos as Bishops, Blitz as a Queen... And Nega himself as a king, wielding a cocky grin even as a figure._

_My chess set, on the other hand... I think I made a small gasp. Those are people from Yamaku. Eight different people as Pawns, mostly my classmates: Miki, Molly, Taro, Lilly, Rin, Shizune, Suzu and Hisao. Two Sakis as Knights – which I would consider amusing if I would happen to be a soulless dick – Two Hanakos as Bishops, two Mishas as Rooks. Myself as a King... I take a closer look at my Queen and narrow my eyes in a mixture of hatred and disbelief._

_**Her.**_

"_You seem surprised." Nega taunts me again, doing quite poorly in an attempt to sound genuinely shocked._

"_You don't say?" I sneer back, staring at the figure of my Queen. _

"_Consider this a warm-up before the real match."_

"_So you'll be giving me a head start here?"_

"_More or less. I want to see if your skills are still rusty."_

"_Well, I didn't get to play chess much during that week..."_

"_It isn't a problem. Neither did I." There's a longer moment of silence. "You should start. You've got whites."_

"_I hate whites. You know that." I reply, trying to postpone the inevitable. Whatever will happen during this game of chess, I'm certain I'm not going to like it._

"_I know. What do you think I'm trying to accomplish here?" Nega grins, again not trying his slightest to be subtle. Alright. This is all happening in your mind, so it would be bad if you happened to lose it. Think. How Nega would play?_

_How would I play when pitted against myself?_

"_Your move."_

* * *

Suddenly, I'm back to normal. How long did all that sequence take? More importantly...

...Oh no.

Both Shizune and Hisao are shooting me looks that appear to mix concern and curiosity. Looks like I "blacked out" out of nowhere, in the middle of school grounds.

"...Sorry." Is all I can mumble in apology. Then I realize class rep won't know anyway and Hisao himself probably doesn't know sign language to translate for her. "I, uh... I got lost in thought."

"That much was noticeable." He responds with a slight smile. Now that I think of it, there was some time since our last chat. Is it me or is he becoming more, I dunno, detached? Shizune is still looking at both of us quizzically. I guess not having Misha around is quite difficult for her. Now that I remember, there are still notebook and pen in my hands. Great, just what I needed. I scribble a quick response and hand it to bespectacled girl.

[Sorry for spacing out. What is the plan?]

Shizune makes a small smile and writes back.

[I thought we might split into two or three groups. There are couple of places Misha can be.]

[Any examples?] I write back. I get it, Shizune, you're not used to writing and all, but you could at least pretend you're not frowning at me.

[Rooftop. The room of Student Council. Our class. A park.] She lists a few. Huh. That's not much as I'd expected.

To be honest, what's with Misha? Why is she missing? What happened? She didn't seem depressed, sad, angry, anything of the like. Why would she go for a midnight stroll like this?

[I see.] I nod to emphasize the answer. Class rep gestures for Hisao to come closer and starts writing something.

[Alright then. How shall we part?] There's a longer moment of silence from both of us.

We always have to assume there's some teacher patrolling the school. Shizune and Hisao might get out of it thanks to their Student Council shtick(assuming he actually joined), I have no such luxury. Also, Hisao seems to be down in the dumps for some reason and I can't quite put it why is that. Then again, as safe as this school is, I don't find the prospect of Shizune walking on her own, especially if she has no way of communicating with lay men, amusing... On the other hand, I might be able to find her on my own just as effectively. Actually, it might be even more effective than wandering with any of those.

What do I do here?

* * *

**[]Go with Shizune**

**[]Go with Hisao**

**[]Go alone**

* * *

**Alright here. Take your pick and choose wisely. **


	13. Act 1, Part 12: Unexpected Finds

**Well, two votes for Casper to go on his own, one to go with Hisao, none for Shizune. Very well then.**

* * *

Alright then. Guess it's well worth taking the risk. I'm not saying I'm someone who understands Misha the best, as this is Shizune's forte, but I guess I'll be able to get to her the best for now. Besides, Hisao should be around in case some teacher catches them. If I'll be caught, even with them, this really won't help my case.

"Alright." I say before realizing Shizune won't be able to hear me. With a sigh I take a notebook and write down what I wanted to say. [Guess I'll go on my own. If they catch me, nothing will help anyway.] Class rep nods.

[I'll go with Hisao then.] She writes back. [We'll check the Student Council room and the park. Can you check the rooftop and cafeteria?]

[Sure thing.] Shizune and Hisao exchange looks.

"Good luck." He says, smiling slightly.

"Gonna need it." I respond.

* * *

Well, so here I am, in a school at night. Normally I wouldn't be here. What's the reason of risking getting caught and robbing yourself off rest you get while sleeping? Even if you can't sleep, there's still a plenty of things to do. Surfing on Internet. Reading. Playing Devil May Cry 4 and trying to get that damn S rank on Mission 18... Huh. Guess that's why Nega's chess figures were modeled after lesser demons.

Alright, it's not so bad. I've got a flashlight in my cellphone, but it doesn't appear to be necessary yet. So far my good eye is able to catch general features and silhouettes of things.

Let's check cafeteria first. I seriously doubt anyone, let alone Misha, would hide in such a place. I mean... It lacks something. Surely you'd be able to disappear in some darker corner, but... I dunno, it just doesn't seem like a place one would sit in the middle of a night, trying to think about himself, his surroundings or whatever else.

And yet, I do find someone in cafeteria.

It's a girl. I shouldn't be surprised really. If there's something I agree with Kenji, that would be the vast dominance of females among students. Then again, most of stuff said by Kenji is... questionable, to say the least. The girl in question is very pale. As in, extremely pale. That's when I notice the silver hair and red eyes. She must be an albino then. That wouldn't explain why is she here, in Yamaku though... Or would it? Her hair is knotted into a braid. Currently she's staring at something outside. She doesn't seem to notice me, so I just sort of glance around. Apart from her, there's no one else here... Then again, why is she sitting in cafeteria of all places?

"Rooftop is occupied." She suddenly says, looking at me. Wha...? How did she...? "You said it out loud." She adds, allowing herself a small smirk.

"Did I?" It's a stupid question, but sometimes only stupid questions allow us to pick a conversation and keep it going. Suddenly, something snaps right in my mind. Cogs have started working. "Did you say that rooftop is occupied?" I ask. She nods slightly, very slowly. It reminds me a bit of Suzu for some reason.

"Two people. A guy and a girl." Oh... This sort of occupation. "He's ranting something about feminists. She's too scared to leave the rooftop. Probably thinks he's going to rip off her head and shit down her neck the moment she objects to something."

...Feminists?

Goddammit, Kenji.

"Guess I'll be on my way then." I say cautiously. I don't think I want to know what that nut is doing that late on the rooftop with a girl, but it might end in tears, especially if he will attempt to do something.

"Tagging along." The albino girl responds, standing up.

"'Scuse me?"

"I said I'll tag along. I don't have anything better to do." She shrugs. Oh, I'm certain there's a plenty other things for you to do, going back to your room and sleeping for example.

"...Sure thing. Uh, who are you, actually?"

"Rika." She responds with another shrug. "You're Fryface."

"Actually, my name is..." She interrupts me with a smug smile.

"I know your name. I find Fryface suiting you better though." ...Okay. Whatever.

"...Sure thing. It's mean, but guess I'm tolerant." I respond, trying my best to not voice my thoughts.

"You'll get used to it. I'm usually mean."

"Guess I will."

* * *

Along with Rika we head into rooftop in complete silence. She's... weird. This isn't Rin's weirdness. This one seems to be... stoic. Quiet. She seems like the type who doesn't ask nonsensical questions and instead prefers to get completely lost in thought in the middle of a street during rush hour. I can feel her glance on my person every once in a while, as if she was judging me for some reason. It's unpleasant. I'm not complaining though, as I can feel the stubbornness of a mule as well. Any attempt of mine would end in a glare.

Well, here we are. The door that lead to the rooftop. I take a look through the small window, trying to notice anything suspicious.

"Are you sure they're here?" I ask. I can't see anyone... There's a possibility they're in the blind spot, but I guess we would hear either a girl or Kenji.

"They were here some time ago." Rika responds, pushing me aside and casually opening the door. "Key word is "were"." She adds with a frown. Huh. So basically my and Hisao's hallmate went off and kidnapped some poor gal into absolutely unknown location for presumably no real reason. Whoop-de-fuckin-do.

"...Do you happen to know how did that girl look like?" I ask, feeling a sudden helplessness. Seriously, I've got absolutely no idea where they might be.

"Not really."

"Maybe pink drills?"

"No. I would remember such an atrocity." Sudden disgust in Rika's voice sounds hilarious. Now that I think of it, she's the only person so far besides me to express disgust in Shiina's hairstyle. Alright, so if she is to be believed, it's not Misha who was kidnapped by Kenji. Still now, I can't let this let go like that. Who knows what is he going to do...

"You said you don't have anything better to do than to tag along, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Great, I could use a hand." Rika smiles slightly.

"So, are you a superhero or am I?" A question leaves me thinking for a while.

"I'm fine with being a sidekick. I'm not handsome enough to be a hero." I respond jokingly. The albino girl smirks.

"Very well."

And with that, we depart to look for Kenji and his poor victim. Since I have absolutely no idea where they might be, this will quickly become a wild goose chase around the school grounds. There's always a possibility Hisao and Shizune will bump into them as well.

"So, why are you here?" I ask at some point after checking yet another empty room.

"Couldn't sleep." She responds with a shrug. "Cafeteria felt like a nice place to be."

"It's not really interesting."

"There was rooftop as an alternative, but, well..." Eh. If you did enter and interrupt, we wouldn't be in this mess. "I can't think of any other places."

"Park?" I respond.

"Eh. I'd prefer not to get lost." Well, that's some sort of argument. Out of a sudden, Rika appears before me and touches the bad side of the face. Sudden sensation isn't welcome as I take a step back, wincing. "You're in here because of that?" She asks. I thought that's pretty obvious so far.

"No, I've got tuberculosis." I snark back, not even trying to hide the sarcasm. Rika looks at me inquisitively, as if she was trying to decipher something.

"I take that as yes." She responds with a shrug. "I'm curious. It's always interesting to see a newcomer, especially if they have something that others do not."

"Yeah, sure. It's surely a captivating thing to ask people what kind of accident they had or what disease got them." She shrugs.

"Guess my interests are morbid." You're morbid. Thankfully I did not say it out loud. Still, wanting to know about others' disabilities and considering it "interesting"...

"How?" She asks, closing another door. We're wandering in the dark, I swear.

"Ex-girlfriend." Rika doesn't push the matter any further. I'm grateful. She seemed like a type who likes to get to the point in all things, including those which might be uncomfortable to others. I open another door. Nothing.

"Hypoplastic left heart syndrome." She says out of nowhere. I glance at her. She's looking at me intently, as if she was trying to guess my reaction. Just like with Saki, I predict this is not a good thing.

"Lethal?" I ask.

"Without quick operation, yes." Rika nods and looks inside yet another room before closing the door. "I still have to look out for myself. They think that they will be able to repair this, to "help" me." Noted bitterness in voice. Alarm bells in head. Albino girl sighs. "You know. They think I'm people like, I dunno, Ibarazaki."

"Huh?" What Emi has to do with it?

"You probably know her. She's the one without legs who's a star of track team. Have you ever touched the matter of her legs?"

"...Well, she did mention how she lost them, but other than that, I guess no."

"Exactly." Rika looks wistful, staring into unknown. "You've probably also noticed that she wears those striped socks every time she's not running."

"Yeah..."

"Have you ever wondered why?" A longer moment of thought and weighing answers.

"...Because she didn't accept the fact that she lost her legs, despite what she might say." The albino girl smiles widely.

"Huh. I thought you wouldn't get it." She says.

"Why's that?"

"Unlike me or Ibarazaki, your disability isn't something which will affect you in a long run. Yes, you've lost half of your face, along with your eye and ear... But this isn't restricting you in any way. You don't have to take pills or wear prosthesis. You don't have to use sign language, walk with a cane, know Braille or whatever else."

"Huh. Point taken. Still, your heart can be cured, I guess?"

"What, you think I wasn't being operated countless times already?" Rika rolls her eyes before shaking her head. "Even if they happened to get rid of it, I still have to watch out. Using some simple example, I could have sex and..."

"_I get it." _I respond, rolling my good eye. Good Lord, I don't have to know that much. "_Für die Liebe Gottes_, I get it." Rika smirks a little.

"_Gut zu wissen, dann_." She responds in German, surprising me. Of course, there's a case of heavy Japanese accent, but other than that it was a flawless German.

"Huh?"

"I've been taking lessons of German since middle high." She responds, shrugging. There's, however, a small smile on her face. "Your last name isn't very German-sounding though." Huh? Oh right, she mentioned she knows my name.

"Half-German, Half-Polish." I respond and this time I'm the one doing the shrugging. "Don't ask about the surname. It has a long history."

"I see." A longer moment of silence. "Well then..." Rika stretches her arms a bit. "We should look out for those two." Oh yeah. Actually, I kind of forgotten about Kenji and his victim. Heh. Guess I got too captivated by Rika's presence.

Strange. I don't recall being that easily-attracted to anyone, even if it has no romantic subtexts. Is it the aura of Yamaku or am I really becoming different?

* * *

After a longer moment of looking and searching, we've finally found them. Kenji was pretty much hyperventilating and lashing out at a poor girl who kept silent. His rants were audible from the... art room. After giving a slight glance at Rika, I open the door very slowly, trying my best to be as quiet as possible. Thankfully, Kenji has his back turned at me and is too busy with his rant about nothing to notice me or my sidekick(or is it the other way around?). The victim of his hideous acts is... Saki. She appears to be in quite a good mood. In fact, she seems to be having fun. Wha...? She flashes us a cheerful smile when she notices us, but says nothing, likely not to blow our cover. Meanwhile, Kenji continues to rant.

"I've got you discovered... You might be smiling, but you're the very first! After you, all of feminists' night agents will fall to my superior hunting abilities..." Kenji stops for a while. "And soon, all of your atrocities will be revealed to the public. Men and women alike will stop supporting you once they see it!"

"Oh really now, Setou-sama?" Saki responds in a changed voice, sounding a bit like some sort of evil baroness. "And where is your evidence?" I can tell she's having tons of fun.

"I will make you talk!" He snaps, his glasses shining ominously. Huh. Guess even Kenji can make glasses shine ominously. "You probably think that I'll be easy on you just because you're a woman... How naive of you, feminist!"

"You're being big talk for an hour so far, Setou-sama. I still haven't seen any sort of proof that you're capable of being a savior. In fact..." She flashes us a cheerful grin. "You've already helped us." Those words seem to be like a bucket of cold water for Kenji. He turns around, his scarf not-so-epically waving in the air.

"W-what?! What kind of trick is this, woman?!"

"You've walked straight into my trap." Saki gets up from her chair, using her crutch and points it at that unaware sap with a smirk that would make Shizune flinch. "Right now, my loyal assassins are aiming at you. Do so much as a step and..." She snaps her fingers for a great effect. "You're history."

"...You... You devil! You whore!" Ouch, going into curses. Then again, he really does seem to believe her as he nervously glances around. Thankfully, he did not think about looking at the mirror. Huh. Rika's got a truly shit-eating grin. Looks like she's enjoying the show as well. I must say, it's quite entertaining.

"Now... You can either join us... Or be assimilated." Loud gulp from Kenji. Saki breaks into dark chuckle which seems nothing like her. Heck, maybe she really is a ruthless agent of feminists? Hah, that would be comedy gold.

"A-aassimilated...?"

"Correct. We will put you in a dress, make you shave your legs, castrate you and learn how to cook. Not exactly in that order..." Another dark chuckle. This seems to be too much for that poor guy.

"NO! NEVER! I'D RATHER DIE!" It seems to be an interesting mixture of utter terror and pure rage. With a warcry Kenji promptly leaves the room through the open window. Thankfully we're on the ground floor or that would end nasty. With a lighthearted laugh, Saki turns to face us.

"I must say, I wouldn't expect you here." She says, exiting the room.

"Pot to kettle, Twitchy." Rika responds with a shrug. "Twitchy"? That's... mean. Brown-haired girl, however, doesn't seem to be too moved by this.

"As always, coming up with new nicknames." She then turns her eyes at me. "I understand why would Rika be here, but how about you?" It is when I'm reminded that I'm not here to pleasantly chat, but to find Misha. This was my objective in the first place.

"I, uh... I should be looking for someone." I stammer in response, cursing my attention deficit. Saki tilts her head a bit.

"Someone? Perhaps I've noticed this person?" She asks.

"Misha. Shiina Mikado, to be more exact. Pink drills." Rika visibly cringes. I can't help but chuckle nervously at it.

"No, I'm afraid I hadn't see her here." I think my face fell a bit, no pun intended.

"That's... That's bad. As far as I know, she does not act like that."

"You'd be surprised..." Albino girl speaks up, shaking her head. Huh? Before I can ask Rika anything else she might know, Saki interrupts me.

"Maybe we can help you find her?" She offers with a smile that strikes me as... overly cheerful, even for her.

Is she trying to get me off topic? What did Rika mean by her statement? "You'd be surprised"... This would imply something similar happened before.

"...Yeah, I'd love some help."

"Sorry, but I'll be off." Albino girl yawns. "It was some damn nice performance, Twitchy. See ya two later." With a slight smile, Rika departs, leaving the two of us alone in the corridor.

And yet again, I can feel Saki's gentle touch as she clings to me delicately with a smile. I won't say I'm not enjoying it, but it feels so... awkward.

"What were you doing here so late?" I ask at some point as we slowly make our way through the corridor.

"Wandering." She responds as sincerely as possible. "I haven't tried wandering here under risk of getting caught yet. Then, Setou-san came along and I thought I might as well have some fun at his expense."

"That poor guy will have nightmares because of you." I respond. Both of us chuckle, amused. "Seriously though... I know security here isn't exactly the tightest, but should someone find you..."

"Looks who says that." She giggles.

"Hey, at least I have some reason to be here, not unlike others who just look for a thrill."

"Life's not long enough to think about consequences, you know that?" Saki smiles gently. Yeah... I know that. Some people's lives are indeed short.

"...That's not fair." I mutter.

"No, it is quite fair." She replies, shaking her head. "Some people are destined to die young, be it by disease, accident or something else. Others will live long. This is how it is."

"That's bullshit. That's complete bullshit. If anything in your statement is correct, then it would be good people like you who will not live long. The philanthropists, benefactors, Samaritans..." Light punch on my shoulder. Saki's still smiling. Is it a mask? Or has she really came to terms with her inevitable end?

"Don't think about it. There's no tomorrow, there's no yesterday. There's only today." She says.

"I guess you're not an avid student, are you?" I ask, forcing a smile. The girl next to me giggles.

"Correct." A light nod. "Why should I sit and read something uninteresting if I can do something completely different and captivating?"

I really want to treat Saki as just a normal girl who just happens to have slight problems with motor control. The one who just happens to walk with a crutch and whose hands are shaking, nothing more, nothing less... And a part of me slowly starts to change, set its settings into "Saki-tolerant mode". It will take time though. Lots of time.

Suddenly, a sound of "The Few, The Proud, The Broken" by Kreator which snaps me out of thought. My ringtone. Cellphone. Almost mechanically I pick it up. Hisao.

"Hello. Hi. You've found her? She's alright?" I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. Oh, I was still... searching." A white lie. No matter, they've found her, so... "Yeah. No problem. Glad I could be of any help... See ya." With that, I hang up. Well, at least there's that.

"Did they find her?" Saki asks, slightly curious.

"Yeah. Thankfully she's alright." I nod. "And I think I should be heading off to sleep... I'm not really a fan of night walks around the school."

"I take you will escort me back to the dorm, correct?" Oh Saki, you. You always have to make me shamefaced at some point.

"Yeah, that's not a problem... I guess." I respond, looking away. She only responds with a giggle.

"By the way..." I don't like the tone of that "by the way". "You've probably heard about the festival already?"

"Some minor snippets, yes. It's this weekend, correct?"

"Sunday, to be precise." Saki nods. I didn't even notice when we've exited the school building. Strange. We should be walking rather slowly, due to her condition and yet... Then again, I did see people who are capable of walking with a cane and still be surprisingly swift. "I wondered... Would you like to hang out with me on the festival?" The question is asked in the most innocent tone possible and yet I feel as if I just hit straight in the jaw.

"Beg your pardon?"

"You've heard me." She replies with a giggle.

"I, uh... No offense, Saki, but I think I'll have to think about it a longer while." How to respond diplomatically to this? "Judging from what I saw so far, I might get tons of invitations from other people." I allow myself a small smile.

"Well, well, someone's making progress in socializing." She smiles as well, but is it just me or is there some sort of teasing behind that smile? "Do I have your phone number?"

"No, I think not..." And so, Saki dictates it to me.

"Send me a message later, will you?"

"Of course." Before we know it, we're before girls' dorms. Now I feel that I should leave. I mean, she should do fine from here.

"Will you come in?" ...Cold sweat down my spine. Suddenly, Saki laughs, genuinely amused. "Relax, relax, I was kidding." Thank God you were. "Well then, I'll see you tomorrow, I hope." She gracefully spins around to stand before me, supporting herself with a cane and flashes me a truly beautiful smile before leaning in slightly and giving a slight peck on the cheek. The good cheek, obviously. "Have a good sleep." And with that, Saki departs to girls' dorm, leaving me completely dumbfounded and with a cheek burning red.

I swear, all those women are trying to embarrass me to death.

* * *

**Phew. Took me some time, but here it is. :) Read and review as always. :)**


	14. Act 1, Part 13: Simple Things

**It's a fifth day already. Just two more to the festival, folks. After that... Act 2.**

* * *

Alarm clock. Again. This thing will wake me up every goddamn time. Despite the fact that I've been woken up by it since middle high, I still can't get used to it. Even with only one ear the sound is awfully loud and just happens to cause your eyes to snap open in an instant. Despite that, you're far from rested. Actually, your eyes close just a few minutes later. Then, you somehow manage to defeat the urge to just lie on a nearest couch and drift off... But it will come back. It always comes back.

Okay, maybe I'm demonizing it a fair bit, but the point still stands. No matter if you went to bed at 10 PM or 1 AM. It's always, always gonna be the same. So long as you get up early, it's gonna haunt you until you finally give in during some particularly boring lecture and fall asleep, earning your teacher's distaste.

Right now, however... I need a shower.

* * *

Ah. The touch of water. Even if it hurts, it's still well worth it... Helps me remove any thoughts. It's just me and the shower. All alone, quiet... Serene.

However, I need to think. Think rationally. About the festival that's just two days ahead of me. About the people. About...

Three faces come to mind. One has burn scars and a purple bang which tries to cover them. The other has pink drills and a giant grin. The last one is adorned with a gentle smile and has two earrings in ears.

Hanako Ikezawa. Shiina "Misha" Mikado. Saki Enomoto. Three girls which are like magnets for my humble person, drawing me closer on each occasion. Whether they're doing it by force, by accident or by a mixture of both, it still works. I'm like a moth and they're the light bulbs. I'm going to burn in their fire once it goes too far.

Considering Hanako's a burn victim, those words seem somewhat inappropriate... Eh. It's weird. I'm a guy who looks like an unholy bastard child of Arnold Toht and Two-Face with a bucketful of cynicism and jackassery. I'm not supposed to be around them.

I suppose people in Yamaku are somewhat more tolerant to stuff, mostly because they have to deal with it on daily basis. I'm new to it. On the other hand, Hisao – who doesn't look half bad on the outside – doesn't seem to be getting that much of recognition amongst Yamaku females. I think he enjoys hanging out with Shizune and Misha, despite his wild reactions any time they corner him in the class. Well, at least he had found someone to talk with..._ Faux pas_, but this time at least it wasn't said out loud.

I exit the shower, wrapped in a towel, just about to avoid any unpleasant situations. Two days left. I need to make a decision during those two days.

* * *

Today's lessons are boring.

Very boring.

I feel like banging my head on the desk, but not only would I scare Hanako, but also probably injure myself. Sadly, the times of facedesks are over. It's a shame, since it's a very simple, yet powerful expression which can show your displeasure, disgust, boredom and more. Now, I can only facepalm and even then I can do it appropriately lightly in order not to flinch from the ensuing pain.

I'm not the only one who shares this boredom. Misha's blatantly sleeping on her desk, drooling. Miki tries her hardest not to fall like Misha and she's propping herself with her good hand. The Lelouch rip-off squints his eyes, apparently trying to comprehend what he's seeing. Misaki's got the bags under her eyes again, but she seems to be in a decent shape. Hanako's also pretty attentive, although mostly she just keeps reading. There are also Shizune and Hisao who seem to be pretty good with science in general, but even they try their hardest to pay attention. Class rep seems especially pissed because of the fact her interpreter is slacking off and she can't wake her up for all it's worth. Quite interestingly, Taro's pretty much the most attentive person in the room right now. Unlike almost every other lesson, he sits straight, his eyes are full to brim with comprehension. I guess it's no surprise, considering that the lesson is about proteins.

Now that I think of it, with the exception of Hisao and Taro(Kenji doesn't really count), I don't know a single other guy in that school or even in my class. There are three others here, from what I saw so far: The guy in beret known as Takashi Maeda(if Miki is to be believed), that Lelouch guy and the other one with brown hair and a headband, always frowning. What was his name? Suzumiya? Oh right, there's also that bespectacled one sitting next to Suzu.

Eh. Perhaps I'm paying too much of my attention to it. As a lunch break starts, Hanako almost immediately darts to the exit. Predictable. A part of me wants to follow her so badly... But I don't think she would appreciate it. Besides, I think she still is a bit wary of me after that incident with sprained ankle. I think I noticed a bit of blonde hair. Guess it makes sense for Lilly to come here for her. Well, what will I do then? Shizune and Misha seem to take hold of Hisao again, so I'm sort of left with nothing. I guess I could hang out with someone. It's not like this class is empty. Taro has dozed off, so he's down for a count. Misaki also took a nap. Miki, Molly and Suzu already grouped into one, so I guess I won't bother them. Two girls which sit on the other side of Hanako had already wandered somewhere too. I've noticed they were holding their hands. Hm. So maybe Takashi? Then again, he's a jackass. Also, he seems to be occupied with his Lelouch pal and the guy with glasses. So... The girl sitting next to Taro is absent too. That leaves me with Suzumiya and the girl next to him.

She has brown hair in a short ponytail, giant blue eyes and seems a bit more... plump than others. She in general seems big in most aspects... But this isn't something I should mention, just like in Misaki's case.

I guess I could talk to either of them. It's always socializing, especially seeing as they're not doing anything in particular. The girl has just unwrapped a sandwich and begins to chew on it. Suzumiya seems to be just staring at the wall, but every once in a while he seems to glance at her. Huh. So that's what it is. Interestingly, however, a moment later while he's not looking at her and goes back to staring at the wall, the girl glances at him with those giant blue eyes in the same manner before quickly going back to her sandwich. This ping-pong repeats a few times in a matter of a minute.

Hah. Now that's something. Both of them have a crush on the another and none of them are brave enough to tell it to the other. Somewhere, in dark depths of my mind, Nega's laughing his ass off.

Should I really interrupt them? I guess I could talk to one and then get to know the other.

"Uh... Excuse me, Komaki-san..." Before I can even approach them, Suzumiya speaks up to the plump girl. She stops mid-bite, looking at him partially surprised, partially scared. The fact that the guy himself looks like a nervous wreck isn't helping his case at all. He stutters something that isn't audible at all, even to the girl next to him. "I m-meant, uh... I, uh... I was won-ndering if you would h-h-happen to..." Is it confession? Come on, dude, you've got this. I can see that Komaki-san is blushing slightly, apparently awaiting the words. "I-if you... Uh... Iiif you know the current hour!" I'm sure as hell he didn't mean to say that. The girl does not show her disappointment though.

"O-oh, sure." She responds, checking her watch. Eh. I guess I would be like that too if I tried to say something nice to the girl I like.

Nah. I can ask someone else about the two. For now I guess I'll be content with walking around the school. Maybe I can meet up with Emi or Rin. With a polite nod to both Suzumiya and Komaki, I exit the class.

* * *

Just as I exit it, someone crashes straight into me. As expected, both of us go down on the floor, both with a curse. I know the corridors aren't exactly narrow, but running around can only end in tears. I get up and dust myself off before taking look at the guy before me. First thing that catches my attention is that he appears to be Caucasian. Completely Caucasian, not even a mix-up. Other than that... Huh, not much. He just... appears. There are no distinctive features in him.

"Watch where you go." I say, sighing. "An acquaintance of mine has a heart condition. You don't want to bump into him like that."

"Right..." He responds with some hesitance. Is it because of my face? Possible. Then again, I'm pretty much unfamiliar to males in this school, with small exceptions of my classmates and Kenji. Dunno. Maybe they have much wilder reactions to stuff.

Another thing that makes me take a longer notice of the guy in front of me is that his voice... it has a heavy accent. I can't quite place it, but it would seem to be a Slavic language... It's most definitely not Polish though.

"Say, is Miki Miura in classroom?" He asks me, looking slightly hopeful. Slightly.

"No, she has left with her group recently." Now that I think of it, the group of Miki, Suzu and Molly doesn't really have anyone that sticks out in particular. True, Suzu's blue-ish hair are kind of suspicious, but comparing it to, say, Misha's pink drills or Hanako's burn scars, that's kind of lame comparison. The guy's expression falls slightly. Very slightly. He seems to be good in reducing his emotions to slight movements. "You might catch them somewhere though. Look for blue hair or double black braids." He nods and dusts himself off as well. I'm surprised he didn't do it earlier.

"Thanks..."

"Stratoavis. Casper Stratoavis."

"Tokarev. Mikhail Tokarev."Huh. So he's Russian. We extend handshakes as he resumes his run in search of Miki.

Now, perhaps I shouldn't be judging, but why is this ridiculously average guy looking for Miki, the girl who is far from average? Eh, perhaps some stuff. Maybe the two know each other. I didn't bother to ask, but that could be perceived as too personal, so...

Well... My interaction with other males so far begs to be killed and buried ten feet under. Maybe Kenji really is right? Maybe this school is ran by women? Then again, most teachers appear to be male. Head nurse's also male, so... Eh, to hell with it.

* * *

As I wander around the Yamaku grounds I can't help, but admire the gorgeousness of this place. While it has been build to provide functionality, it is also exceptionally beautiful, especially from the outside. The greenlands, the trees, the park near the school...

Now that I think of it, I don't think I've exited the school grounds yet. After my arrival here at Monday, I was just sitting here and getting involved in various stuff. Heh. That one week hasn't ended yet and it had already offered me a bucketful of experience.

Maybe I could take a walk down to the city nearby? I've got a whole hour to use, so I guess I could walk around, discover some extra things. That way, I could go there after classes end and buy a thing or two or just relax.

It took me a while to notice, but Yamaku is built on top of a large hill, overlooking the local buildings. The town itself doesn't seem that big, to be honest. It's more of a village. I'm sure there is some city nearby though.

Also, what kind of brainless idiot builds a school for physically disabled on top of a huge hill? Never mind me or, say, Lilly, who have no problems with moving on their own. But what about the likes of Hisao or Saki? I take walking up this hill really tires people out and given his heart condition, he does tire himself out like hell here. And in Saki's case, well, given she walks with a crutch...

Eh, I'm probably thinking too much. Now, to walk around and find a place or two.

Pulling out my MP4 player out of the pocket of my pants, I place the headphone in my good ear. I've always hated to listen to things with just one ear. It's awful, it's low-quality, it shouldn't ever be done. Sadly, after the accident I was kind of forced to do so. While I can still general sounds going from both directions, concentrated source like headphones are a no-go. A pity. Isolating myself from the environment with my headphones and lyrics of Kreator was once one of my favorite things to do. I do it sometimes, when I wander around the corridors or just do something of little importance.

Hm. There's a bus stop near the exit of school grounds. Well, at least there's that. I guess I can take a little walk though. Even if I happen to be late, I can always pin it on me not being familiar with environment yet. After a week, it will stop being a viable excuse though.

The landscape around the road is quite peaceful. I did not expect anything else, although I must admit I didn't pay much attention to it while we were driving here. It might have something to do with the fact that's summer now, but then again, who knows? Maybe this place happens to be a mythical Garden of Eden, carefully hidden as a school for psychically disabled?

Hm. This theory seems even crazier than the ones of Kenji. I don't think it's a good sign. Now that I think of it, I didn't see him since that incident from yesterday evening. Then again, I don't see him that often. Who knows? Maybe he got to his room and cowers in fear, afraid of Saki's fictional assassins? Maybe he crawls around Yamaku, looking for an opportunity to strike?

...Or maybe he's clinging to my leg, having jumped from bushes nearby.

"Man, am I glad to see you!" He says and judging from his body language he's absolutely delighted to talk to me.

"Kenji, what the hell were you doing in those bushes?" The question is asked in a relatively calm, indifferent tone.

"Don't be joking, man! I've been hiding here! All night and half of the day already!" ...Alright. You seriously have to visit a doctor. A psychiatrist. No, wait, loony bin seems more appropriate. "Those feminists assassins wouldn't see it coming." As much as I'd like to tell him that Saki just pulled a joke on him, I know the moment I'll say I know something, he'll go apeshit. Considering he's been here that long, I take he's armed with something, be it a revolver or a letter-opener.

"...What feminists assassins?" For now, I must play this game. Looks like my plan of going to town is going to hell. I offer Kenji a hand which he gladly accepts, getting up.

"That's quite a story." He says and I can see that he's all excited about that. "I've been on the scent of a powerful figure in ranks of Yamaku's feminists. I bet she was at least a lieutenant. Heck, maybe even a captain! Do you imagine how much would those bitches flip their shit should I capture such a high-ranking individual?!"

"I guess I do."

"Hah. Good to know, man. Hisao tries his best, but the moron's too thick-headed. He thinks women are nothing but "delicate flowers that most certainly have no intention of hurting you, Kenji". Just you wait til I tell him about it!" Kenji pumps his fist up in the air with a triumphant grin. "He'll go down in a heart attack, I'm telling you." Yeah. As much as Hisao's heart condition is disconcerting, I don't think he will even shake. "So, anyway! I was sneaking through the school, using my ninja senses..."

"Ninja what?"

"Come on, man. What are you, a trilobite? Ninja sense! Every man has those! Every man is a ninja at heart!" I can't tell him that there were female ninjas. Kunoichi, I do believe. "Well, so my ninja sense! Lets me hear damn everything around me. So I've heard that tapping. At first I thought it's a water from the sink somewhere in the bathroom, but it was too rhythmical. So I went and checked it out. Turns out, the bitch was too busy looking at the stars or whatever shit feminists do to keep their devious minds clean. So I ambushed her. I'm telling you, when she saw me, she was terrified. Completely lost her shit." Yeah... I saw that.

Kenji continues to rant about his glorious adventure from yesterday as I sort of drag him back to school.

* * *

And that's how I spent my lunch break. Not even eating anything. Great. And that bastard didn't even show me some minor gratitude apart from saying "thanks, man" and running away to his room. He could at least offer me something to eat, dammit. I was forced to rush to cafeteria, bowl over a few people, get a donut and pray it will be enough.

Obviously it wasn't. Donuts are awesome, but they're not really what I'd call "filling". I had to spend most of afternoon classes starving and begging the bell to finally ring. It did, but it took me some strong will not to just run out of the class and order a casserole.

Finally. Alright. All plans be damned, now I need to go and eat someth-wait. The ritual of Suzumiya and Komaki repeats again, now that everyone's leaving. Misha sends me a warm smile, then goes back to torturing Hisao alongside Shizune. Hanako does not bolt like an arrow out of the room, which is surprising, but instead takes her time with her books and notebooks and even chats a little with the girl next to Taro. Huh. Wow. What happened? She notices me and smiles slightly. Double wow. That's some serious improvement. Lilly's apparently working wonders.

Hm... Takashi and Lelouch are already talking about something. From what I can hear, the latter mentions something about his sister, although he does it in such a cryptic and barely comprehensible way I'm not quite sure if he really meant it. The guy in the beret seems to understand him perfectly though. Miki, Suzu and Molly are already next to exit, chatting with each other about things, though blue-haired girl seems kind of drowsy. The guy with glasses approaches Taro and starts talking to him about something. The two lesbians have already walked out of the classroom. This leaves Misaki as the only unoccupied person in the room besides me.

I guess I could ask her about those two.

"'Scuse me..." I approach her as she's busy getting her things done. She looks up at me, slightly nervously, but lights up a moment later.

"Oh, hey." She responds. "It was some time since our last chat, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Been photographing again?"

"...Is it that noticeable?"

"Apart from the fact you were sleeping on the lunch break? Yeah." Misaki sighs.

"Weather forecast said that until Monday morning the night sky is going to be absolutely clear. You know how rare that is? I don't want to lose such an opportunity." I guess I get it why she's so stubborn about it. Sometimes, when for some reason I'm outside during the night, I often catch myself staring at the skies. Dotted with stars, it's one of the simplest and yet most beautiful things a mortal man could witness.

Suzumiya and Komaki had left already. Good.

"Say... I've got a question."

"Huh?"

"About those two sitting next to Miki." Misaki blinks a few times, then smiles slightly.

"You mean Haruhiko-kun and Ikuno-chan?" She asks.

"Most likely. The guy with a headband and a girl with giant blue eyes."

"Oh, they love each other." She said it in such a matter-of-fact way. I expected some bigger mystery... "The problem is, they don't seem to be quite aware of it."

"That much I've noticed." I nod. "It's funny, when you look at it. Both of them have a crush on another, but neither of them can bring some courage and say it."

"Well, it's not exactly an easy matter." Misaki seems to be thinking. "But at least Ikuno-chan is quite good at hiding it. Haruhiko-kun has pretty obvious quirks. It's been like that since the last semester of second year. Not sure who fell for who first, but people are betting which one of them will confess." Her giggle seems slightly inappropriate...

"Who are you betting?" I ask.

"Ikuno-chan. Haruhiko-kun might look like he's going to jump out of his skin and kneel before her, but he's too nervous for that."

"Hm. Anyone tried to speed up the process?" The question is met with silence.

"...no, of course not."

"Huh? Why not?" She looks at me as if I were some sort of a moron. It hurts.

"You shouldn't speed up things like that. Love is like a seedling of a tree. It takes a lot of effort and time to make it finally grow into an oak or a cherry blossom."

"Uh-huh... Okay, sorry. Given how my first relationship with a girl ended, I shouldn't try to give advice." I manage a small, forced chuckle. Misaki blinks a few times and a second later considerably saddens.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry..." She mutters apologetically.

"No big deal. We weren't made for each other anyway. " I manage a bitter chuckle. "Hm. They could use a little, tiny push though. At this rate, I seriously doubt he's going to ask her about going on that festival together."

"...I think Ikuno-chan's going to do that first though." Misaki puts a hand under her chin, resting it on a desk. Seems she completely forgot about where she was going. "She told me she wanted to do it for a longer while and the festival seems like a perfect opportunity." The girl stretches a bit and then winces in pain. Alarmed, I look at her cautiously. "Sorry for scaring... I shouldn't do this, but it's so good to stretch your arms every once in a while..." I don't question. It probably has something to do with her disability.

"Well... Guess we'll have to wait and see." Yeah, I guess. Suddenly, there's a short beep coming from my pocket. Text message. I take a look at the screen and freeze dead in my tracks.

* * *

"Care to go out? :3 I'm waiting at the school gate. Saki."

* * *

Great... Okay, I don't have any plans for this afternoon, but... Since some time I've been doing nothing but seeing Saki on almost every occasion, everywhere... Is there really something she likes in me? Or maybe she just likes hanging out with me for whatever reason.

Well. To the gate then.

* * *

**Well, there's that. Read and review. :)**


	15. Act 1, Part 14: The Flower of Hackberry

**I apologize for this long delay, but I've been having some life difficulties and whatnot. Because of this, chapters will probably be updated rarer. Anyway though, enjoy awkwardness of what might become a relationship. Might, might not. :)**

* * *

As expected, Saki awaits me at the gate. She's still in her school uniform. No biggie. Looks pretty good on he-stop thinking like that.

"I thought you wouldn't show up." She says to me as I approach her, giving me an innocent smile. I shrug in response, not saying a word. "How familiar are you with the environment around Yamaku?"

"I was going to take a sightseeing tour during the lunch break, but certain someone ambushed me on the way. Certain someone still thinks feminist assassins are after him." For some reason, I can't bring myself to say "Kenji". Maybe it's because I have this brief moment of hating his guts right now. As expected, brown-haired girl laughs heartily.

"Oh my. I should probably go to his room and apologize..." She chimes cheerfully. I think I groaned.

"I... I don't think it's a good idea. He might go batshit on you... That is, if he'll ever let you in." I shake my head with a sigh. "Dude's locked up like in some sort of vault." Saki really seems amused. I, for one, think that it's not that funny. Considering Kenji is most likely completely delusional, poking fun at his mental instability isn't something we should consider "fun". The girl in front of me seems to notice my hesitation.

"Is something the matter?"She asks me and she seems to be slightly worried.

"Nah... It's nothing, Enomoto-san." Saki nodded, looking at me cautiously. "So, where will we go?" Thankfully, she smiles. I don't think I'd be able to look at her sad or concerned face and not feel guilty. And even then, despite her condition that will kill her one day, she still loses her smile only very briefly and only in serious situations...

I guess this is what people call "idiotic optimism".

"I'm glad you asked." She walks up to me and, by her custom, she holds onto my arm, using me as a support. I've stopped really raising my eyebrow at this. At first it was surprising. Then, I just... got used to it, I guess. "Ever heard about The Shanghai?" She asks me with a gentle smile.

"Can't say I have." I respond truthfully.

"Great. How about we give it a go then?"

"Sure thing. What is this Shanghai though?"

"Oh, it's a small cafe near the academy." Saki explains. "It's pretty popular with students, but most of them appear there during lunch break, so maybe we won't have to deal with large crowds. Just you and me, chatting and having a good time."

For some reason I didn't like that "you and me"...

* * *

As it turns out, the place itself has a rather nice exterior. Seems to be stylized by Chinese architecture. Taking its name into consideration, I don't find it all that surprising. Saki didn't get it right calling it a cafe though. From what I see, it's more of a tearoom.

Hm. Seems there's only a few people in here. No one I recall... Wait. Isn't that Mikhail? What is he doing here? He also seems to be with the "power trio" of Miki, Molly and Suzu. Why the power trio? Do you know this page called TVTropes? Like I mentioned some time ago, I frequent it. One of tropes described there portrays a three-member team with different personalities, based on Freud's psychoanalysis. Id is the energetic one, who tends to use heart rather than mind. Superego is the logical and calm one, while Ego makes for a bridge between the two. While I'm certain Miki is Id, I can't quite put Molly and Suzu's roles. While Suzu is indeed calmer by an order of magnitude than Molly, it's more because of her narcolepsy. Besides, her path of thinking isn't exactly the most logical out there. Molly, on the other hand, has tendencies to be emotional, but surely is the brainiest out of the trio and probably the most logical one.

Still, "power trio" stands firmly. Well, I'm glad my sort-of-countryman found someone to talk to.

"Let's take a sit here." Saki says, snapping me out of thinking. A table in the corner, small enough so just two of us can fit without getting in the way. Huh.

"Nice atmosphere..." I murmur, taking my seat few meters from her presence.

"Yup." She nods with a smile. "I don't visit this place that often though." I kind of see why. "Mostly because I don't really have anyone to go with. There's Rika, but she tends to go on her own into the weirdest of places."

"Hm. So you two are friends?"

"Of course we are. Well, good acquaintances." Saki giggles. "I'm trying my best to make her cheer up a little, but she tends to be somber all the time." Well, she does have something with her heart.

"She called you "Twitchy"..." I mention quietly, looking at her carefully.

"And you are known as "Fryface". Saki retorts with a grin. I think I groaned again. "Don't worry, she finds nicknames like that for everyone. Do you know Lilly Satou from class 3-2?"

"Yes, I do."

"Imagine that she got the nickname of "Eyelander". Ouch. Still, pretty funny and I really must try their hardest not to snicker. "Don't worry, Rika tends to be like that. She's a nice person once you get to know her better."

"I'll take your word for that." I nod reluctantly. I find it hard to imagine albino girl being nice after what I saw.

The waitress approaches us and... Wait a minute...

"Welcome to Shanghai." She says cheerfully, while making one professional bow. Her normally loose hair are now in two Chinese hair buns and she's wearing an apron. "May I take your order?"

"Shirakawa-san...?" I respond with a question, raising my eyebrow. Seeing Yuuko the librarian here as a waitress isn't something I'd expect.

"Oh, good afternoon." The redhead blinks at my appearance, but keeps the straight face.

"What are you doing here?"

"W-well, I have this part-time job here as a waitress..." She seems flustered when mentioning this. "B-but anyway! What would you like?" I take a brief glance at the menu. Hm. They have cheesecake...

"I'll take strawberry sundae." I can hear Saki's voice as I glance at her.

"Cheesecake and a glass of apple juice, please." Yuuko takes our orders, writing them in the small notebook.

"On their way." She says, bowing again, then turning on her heel and going to the back.

There's a longer moment of silence between us. Awkward...

"So, uh..." I try to start and fail with not-so-hilarious results. Saki giggles. Don't know if she giggles at me or because of the awkward situation.

"You're not very good in starting conversations, are you?" She asks me with a smug grin. You didn't have to rub it in, you know?

"Well then, I'll leave that to you." I respond, trying my best to bite back.

"So what are your parents like?" Whoa. Of all questions, I did not expect this one. I take a while to comprehend.

"Uh... They're nothing special, I guess. I mean, they don't really stick out of the crowd. Dad's working in court, Mum is a banker. Both of them work and live in Tokyo. How about yours?"

"Dad's a businessman and tends to be overseas a lot. Mum, on the other hand, works in convenience store in Shinsekai. We live in Osaka." Huh. Weird, but I don't recall her speaking in Kansai-ben.

"Well, that's good, I guess..."

"Oh, you bet. Osaka's red light district is one of the best in Japan." Uh... Red light district? I give a not-so-subtle and nervous glance at Saki who giggles. "So I was told. Don't worry, don't worry."

"I'm not worrying..." I can only hope this didn't sound too tsundere. Before she can respond, Yuuko comes back with our order.

"Bon appetit!" She says, while making yet another bow and walking away.

Huh. I've never tried strawberry sundae. They seem delicious, but I never really gave them much thought. Well, I still have my cheesecake.

"I thought you will take something more original." Saki says with a slight teasing factor in her voice.

"Hey, I like cheesecake." I respond hastily. She smiles at me slightly. "I don't like experimenting with food. It's enough that my Mum does so."

"Hm? What do you mean?" Seems like this piqued her attention.

"Well, basically what it sounds like. She tends to test many different recipes. Usually they don't fit her tastes, so those are one-shots. The handful of them actually gets to say on the list of usually-served things."

"Oh, I see... Well, in my case Mum's rather traditional with her choice of dishes. Dad though... At those rare times he gets to cook, the kitchen almost explodes with awesomeness." Explodes with awesomeness? I'm almost afraid to ask. Saki takes a bit of her sundae and murmurs, pleased with the flavor. "Too bad he rarely visits." She seems a bit saddened for a brief moment. Well, I guess I kind of understand. I probably wouldn't be able to endure such long periods of not seeing any of my parents.

We spend the rest of our visit in Shanghai on small talk and finishing our dishes. It's one of the most delicious cheesecakes I've ever eaten, really. Who makes those?

* * *

The sun isn't even setting as we exit. It's still tons of free time. Tomorrow's Saturday which means there will be less lessons, so it won't hurt to hang out with Saki a bit more. I mean, why not? It's not like I have anything better to do. She's a nice person and we seem to get along well after all, despite all the awkwardness.

I mean... What's the worst that could happen?

"It's still a lot of time until curfew. Where should we go?" I ask her, as we're entering the school grounds. I think I caught a few stares. Heh. It might look weird when she's leaning on me like that.

"Hm. Do you have any suggestions?" She asks back. No, I don't really have any. Should we have more time, we could take a bus to the city, but alas, the trip there takes some time, so...

"Uh... Not really."

"My room then." ...That was fast. Well, I'm not gonna question it. I mean... I really do hope nothing will happen. She might be a tease, but she seems sensible enough to avoid any Misha-esque situations.

Or so I hope.

The first thing I see is a giant, monstrous teddy bear glaring at me from the other side of the room. Thing's huge, easily from ceiling to the floor. How the hell did it fit through the door?

"It had to be brought here in parts." Saki explains, seeing my disbelief. "The torso barely squeezed through the door frame on its own."

"I can imagine that." I nod, responding. That's when I notice that this ridiculously large plushie seems to have... seats on its legs. Two of them. Great. A fancy please to sit, just under the glare of that monster of a bear.

Besides that, Saki's room looks pretty normal. It definitely has this certain feminine touch, I can't deny that, but isn't too girly either. A desk, a bed, a laptop on said desk, a number of drawi-wait.

"You draw?" I ask, slightly surprised.

"Well, duh." She responds, giggling, letting my arm go and taking a seat on that giant bear. "I'm in art club after all." Yeah. That seems logical. She seems to like into style typical of shoujo mangas. The characters seem to be almost sparkling. Ugh.

"I'm jealous." I respond, putting the drawing back on desk and then taking look at Saki again. She seems to be thinking about something.

"There's nothing to be jealous about." She chimes, opening eyes and giving me a warm smile.

Who exactly is this girl? What happened that we became such good pals in a matter of such a short time? While I couldn't accuse her of having ulterior motives, I still don't know why me, of all people. I guess I could be perceived as... interesting, but compared to other guys in class I really am nothing special.

"Are you going to just stand there and stare at me?" Her voice snaps me out of thought. "Or are you going to have a seat and do something?" The slight tease in that second sentence did not help matters, at all. I can feel a cold shiver down my spine, just like the one when she suggested going to her room back in that night.

"Uh... R-right." I reply with noticeable hesitation, sitting on the other leg. Another moment of awkward silence... I feel like I'm slowly becoming a patron of this. Awkward Silence-sama. Yes, that definitely suits me.

"So... What are we going to do?" She asks me after a longer while.

"Well, it's your room. You're the boss."

"You sure you want me to take the initiative?" She smirks mischievously. Gulp.

"...Okay, I'll think of something..." I murmur in response, desperately trying to think of something that would not involve what I'm afraid this might become very soon.

...Fuck, I'm lapsing into Engrish.

"Got any ideas?" No, I don't have any. Crap, think. Think, dammit. That stupid coprophagous grin of hers isn't helping matters at all.

Gah, I give up.

"...No, I don't have any." I finally say, letting my head down. Let it be. With a giggle, Saki gets out... a board game?

"Have you ever played Citadels?" She asks me. Boy, did I? It was one of the most awesome board games I've ever got my hands on! Brown-haired girl notices the joy in my eyes. "I take that as yes." She grins cheerfully. "Well then, shall we start?"

"Most definitely."

* * *

Turns out, Saki's pretty good at this. I always considered games like Citadels an entertainment rather than serious business, so she wiped the floor with me relatively easily. Over the course of game I got to know that she also likes roleplaying and considers starting one in realms of D&D. Suffice to say, she got me interested.

"I had a great time." The girl before me says after putting the game back in its place. "Thanks."

"I did nothing, really." I respond, trying my best not to sound awkwardly. "It was you who invited me anyway."

"True. A great decision, eh?" She lets a small giggle. I can't help but giggle with her. Yeah. A great one.

"Well, I guess I will be on my way then." I get up slowly from this weird seat that teddy bear's leg is. "It's been a pleasure to be here, that's for sure."

"Aw. I thought you're going to stay a bit longer..." Saki seems genuinely saddened by my decision. Well... Truth be told, I don't necessarily have to leave right now. There's still an hour or so until the curfew... But to be honest, I feel like I'm going to experience some incredible conscience damage once I do stay. Maybe it's just me?

Of course, I wouldn't expect her to sneak up on me. How naive of me.

I turn around and before I can formulate a response, she's already just inches from me, pushing me at the wall next to the door. Gently, but firmly somehow...

"Peek-a-boo." She whispers, giving me a very warm smile. I don't feel warm at all. If anything, this is probably how depths of Lake Cocytus feel like.

"...What are you doing?" The question is meant to just buy me some time, but I'm pretty sure this won't help me much, just like it was in Misha's case. I swear, what the hell makes those girls think...

"I'll let you guess." She's going to tease me and take delight from seeing me suffer. She knows she has me on the ropes. I can resist only for so long, especially when she keeps leaning on me like that, her chest touching mine. "Three chances for you to guess."

"What if I miss all three?"

"Then you shall suffer... repercussions."

"What if I guess?

"There will be a reward." Huh. Looks like I'm really gridlocked here. Think, you cretin, try to talk her out of this... That is... If you want it to talk her out of this.

Well, do you?

I could just push her away. I'm most definitely stronger than she is. I don't want her to get hurt though. She left her cane on the bed to sneak up on me. Once pushed, she could fall and sprain an ankle or break a leg or...

"Hey, delaying your answer won't help you, you know?" Saki grins devilishly. She's right. I can either play along and probably regret it... or come up with some excuse real fast.

Real fast.

What can I say to her? That I'm taken already? Homosexual? That's she's being a repulsive nympho? All of it will hurt her and I really don't want to see her hurt, either physically or mentally.

It's tempting to give up and let her dictate the flow of actions, but... I, uh...

...Why do I have the feeling that this is going to turn into another Agusu case?

"Well?" She doesn't like to wait, that's for sure. What do I do?

"Let's see... You're going to kiss me."

"Aren't you the smartest guy around." That sarcasm-tinted response felt like a needle, but I guess I well deserve it. "Well, you guessed correctly."

"So... a kiss will be an aforementioned prize?"

"Correct." She leans a bit closer, her lips just inches from my mine. Despite what she sees, she still wants to go for it... and I feel that she, unlike Misha, isn't going to back down when politely asked. The sweet smell of her breath makes my resistance noticeably weaker. She's going to get what she wants... "You might deny it, but I'm not that oblivious." She whispers to me, caressing my good cheek with her hand. "You like me more than just a good friend."

"What if I don't?"

"I'd say you're pretty bad when it comes down to lying." A moment of silence as she continues to trace her fingers through my face. Slowly, she makes her way to the other part, the destroyed one. Just a slightest touch is enough to make me wince. "Does it hurt?"

"A lot." I respond truthfully. "You know, for some reason lots of people touched this matter just during this first week, quite literally so."

"And you find it surprising?"

"Not really, no." Another moment of silence. "Why me?"

"Why not you?" I see the mischief in her eyes. She continues to slide her fingers through this carapace and does so willingly, albeit she does it much more slowly when compared to her moves from just a while ago.

"_Come on. Give up."_

Nega, I hate you so fuckin' much.

"...I have one request." I say, carefully weighing what I want to tell her in my next words.

"Hm?" Now or never. Before Saki realizes what's going on, I have already grabbed at her legs with this certain firm gentleness one should have when carrying a woman like that, bridal-style. Brown-haired girl yelps, surprised.

"I guess if we want to kiss, we should do this in a place more comfortable, shouldn't we?" I allow myself a small warm smile. She smiles too, although she really seems flustered now that she has lost the initiative. I consider carrying her to the teddy bear, but after a short process of thinking, her bed seems like a better option, especially since there's much more space. Gently putting her down, I take a seat next to her, smiling as warmly as my burns allow me.

She lies on her back, giving me this delighted, fulfilled look. I swear, her eyes grew and are now as big as saucers... They're like miniature black holes, dragging me inside.

"Well then..." I kick off my shoes as I lie alongside her. "Apparently, you won."

"Sort of." She admits so with a grin as she edges closer, her warm body pressing against mine. "I have you now."

"You do." Saki leans even closer and finally gets what she wants, putting a small kiss on my lips. It's as pleasant as I expected it to be.

"What do you think?" She asks as she wraps her arms around me. I do the same. Do I really love her or is it just lust? Do I really want this? Considering how different we are, a part of me wants to shake head and say "no, I don't".

It's small and insignificant though.

"You're a great kisser." I respond, stroking her hair. She giggles, content with my answer. For a longer while we do nothing else but looking at each other and letting our hands course around second person's body. I'm satisfied, even if that small part keeps ramming into my brain and screaming insults of the worst kind, directed at my humble person. I think she's satisfied too.

"...It's past curfew." She finally whispers.

"I don't care." I whisper back.

"Glad to hear that." Another kiss. Again, it's but a small peck on the lips. Any attempts to hold this treasure for longer are futile now. Saki really likes to tease, doesn't she? I don't complain. The one opposing part of me begins to wither and slowly crumbles into dust, into nothingness. "So I take you're going to stay here for the night?"

"If you wish."

"Oh, I surely do wish." Another moment of silence. I like to savor them.

I guess I really yearned to be loved by someone. I would cuddle with people all day if I could. I just... perhaps I just like the sensation of touch.

Am I not pathetic, in a way?

"Kiss me." She whispers, giving her voice a slight sultriness. And how am I supposed to keep my cool in a situation like this? I do what she asked me to, giving her a small smooch, similar to those she gave me not so long ago. As we separate, she seems genuinely amused. "Allow me to reiterate my request." Brown-haired girl chimes with a mischievous grin. "Kiss me passionately. Like this." Before I can formulate a response, her lips meet mine, but this time this isn't a small peck. This time, she goes all-in, her tongue invading my cavern. I follow the suit, kissing back. A small, muffled moan of hers can be heard and surely works great in pushing me further into this insanity. Our hands find each other and hold themselves tightly, not wanting to let go as we continue to make out.

I just can't go a month without falling for someone, can I?

Accidentally, the whole romantic moment goes to hell when we roll the wrong way. With a gasp and a curse cut short – no points for telling who articulated what - we fall down on the floor.

"Are you alright?" It's the first I manage to say. Saki's laughing out loud. She doesn't seem to be in any sort of pain, thank God.

"Never felt better." She responds cheerfully, getting up and sitting on bed. "How about you?"

"Being honest, I sort of depreciated your fall." The brown-haired girl puffs out her cheeks in mock offense.

"Are you implying I'm fat?" She asks with a stifled giggle.

"Not at all." I murmur in response, getting back on my feet as well.

"Can you turn the lights off?" I do as I'm told. It's suddenly almost completely black in here. "Good..." She... purrs? Yes, that most definitely was Saki purring like a pleased cat. "Now come here." This I do as well, seeing as her silhouette slowly moves under the wall. I get in front of her, putting my hand on hers and moving in for a kiss.

It's going to be a long night.

* * *

**And probably they're going to be an actual item, not unlike with Shiina. Well, here you go. Read and review. :)**


	16. Act 1, Part 15: Sōdai Miura Miki

**Well then, it's two days left to the festival after which we're going to start Act 2. What will happen, I do not know.**

* * *

...My eyes. My back. My everything.

Where am I? It's not my room... And what's this under my left hand? It's so soft and squishy and...

…

…

Oh dear God. Please tell me this is isn't what I think it is...

…

It is. Sweet mother of mercy, it is. Thankfully, it's hidden in a safe place, in a comfy space of this innocently white bra with frilly laces-God, what am I thinking?!

I slowly remove my hand from Saki's breast and take a while to comprehend what's going on. We're in her room, that's obvious enough. No wonder my alarm clock didn't wake me up. Still, I don't remember falling asleep. Must have been the exhaustion which makes me wonder what _exactly_ happened here? Did we do things that should not be named? I don't see any, ahem, traces of such activities.

The girl next to me has fallen asleep in her uniform, although she did unbutton her blouse... or was it my work? I shudder to think about it. She's still in her skirt, although it slid a bit down her waist and shows a glimpse of her equally innocent underwear. As for me, I'm fully clothed, although my shirt was partially unbuttoned too. The necktie lies on the chair near the desk.

...I'm gonna need a long, long shower. That is, if I'll figure out how to sneak out of there. Then again, if Misha could do it with her pink drills, I should be able too.

That being said, she had only Kenji and Hisao to bump into. I've no idea how many other girls live near Saki, so...

I catch myself taking another look at the girl that I probably love right now. Contrary to my beliefs, she does not look like an innocent angel when sleeping. Actually, she's sprawled all over the bed, making these weird motions with her right hand, as if she was a cat or something. She's also snoring. Not loudly, no, but it's audible enough to pique my attention.

Guess perfection really does not exist.

That being said, I think about what has happened yesterday. Do I really love her? Do I feel something for her? Maybe this is a one-night stand, just like it was in Misha's case(although back then we established we're friends and nothing more)? Maybe we were just lusting for physical contact and saw that the other one feels that way as well?

What if we really are an item from now on though?

I take another look around the room. For some reason, the monstrous teddy bear doesn't seem that threatening in the morning light. It seems to be thinking, stuck in a deep contemplation.

...What's the hour?

I hastily take the phone out of my pocket. Eighteen past eleven. Hoo boy... Guess I will give up in case of today's lessons. While I know Saturdays are usually less demanding, I don't feel like going anywhere when it's so late.

I'll be honest, I'm content with being here, alongside still sleeping Saki. I want to see her body, hear her breathing and enjoy every second of it. After a longer moment of hesitation I decide to ruffle her hair a bit. Her response is a long, quiet purr as she shifts in her sleep and wraps her arms around me. With a chuckle, I continue to slide my fingers around her face and neck. As tempting as it is, I do not dare going anywhere lower. Well, I guess I could explore her legs, but only that... And even then, it feels wrong to do it without her knowledge.

With a sigh, I begin to button her blouse. My hands are shaking a bit, but I get the job done: She doesn't wake up even for a split second as I continue to cover her with her clothing. Once I'm done with the blouse, I try to get up as silently as possible, while gently putting her arms away. She sleeps like a log. That, or we really went all-out on each other... She will probably mention all of it once she comes into full consciousness.

Now, the hard part. The skirt. My task is to put it back on her. Thankfully it was not unstrapped, so it's only a matter of gently pushing it upwards a bit. If she _does_ wake up during that though, I might as well jump off the window.

Just a little push, right? A little push. With a gulp I lower my hands around her hips and start doing what I'm supposed to do. She lets out a quiet moan which makes me curse myself even more. Come on, don't tell me hips are her sensitive place? No matter, just a little bit more and we're done.

Phew. It's back. It's a bit... askew, but the general premise of hiding girl's undergarments is still there.

Despite the fact that she's still sprawled all over the bed now that I'm not around to hug and snores, she still looks cute. I think I really did fall for her. Giving her one final kiss in the forehead, I depart from her room, trying my best to not be noticed by anyone.

* * *

...This goal of sneaking through girls' dorm quite unfortunately does not go as I planned.

"'Ello." Oh God. Oh God no. I recognize that voice... "What could you possibly do in Enomoto's room at this hour?" I turn to face Miki, smiling like the smuggest bastard ever.

"..." No words can possibly justify me.

"I'm going to assume she wasn't showing you the landscape." To hell with you and your puns.

"...Why are you not in class?" Currently, it's the only response I can come up with. Brown-skinned girl seems amused.

"Festival stuff, so no lessons today." She waves her stump dismissively. "Who cares about that?"

"I do and I do believe Shizune asked me to do a few things, so I need to help, so excuse me and I'll be on my way..." Not really taking pronunciation or grammatical correctness into consideration, I swiftly turn on my heel and am about to leave, seeing this one-of-a-kind opportunity, but Miki's good hand places itself firmly on my shoulder.

"Not so fast, Master of Romance." Master of what? Oh come on! "You see, I'm something of a big sis around. I get to know stuff going on here rather quickly." Gulp. "So, my swagtastic friend, how about we talk about it over a big bowl of ice-cream?"

"...I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

* * *

Miki's room is what I'd call a cavity of disorganization. Clothes are everywhere, including numerous sport bras and numerous panties. There are also various notebooks and handbooks, a few Lego bricks, a pack of French letters... In general, walking here resembles tap dancing through a minefield. The long-haired athlete has no problems with literally bouncing around her room though. She jumps into a small niche in the left corner of the room and seems to be taking something out. This "something" is a giant see-through container, filled to brim with mentioned ice-cream. Jesus Christ, the thing is big! If not for the handle, I've no idea how would she take it anywhere.

"Sit wherever you want." She offhandedly mentions as she puts the container on her desk and then goes back into niche where, I suppose, her mini-fridge is located and takes out four spoo-four.

Shit. As if I'm not up to the hilt in this...

I take a sit on her messily organized bed, shifting a bit uncomfortably. It's like a complete opposite of Saki's room. It's a place I wouldn't like to find myself after curfew.

"So..." Miki grabs four small cups and puts them on desk next to the ice-cream container. "Rumors were true."

"...What rumors?"

"Come on, dude. Rumors."

"No, really. What rumors?" Miura looks at me, amused, as she hands me a cup filled with ice-cream and gets one for herself as well.

"That you're spinning around at least three girls like some harem protagonist and, what's even more amazing, you're succeeding with all three. Or maybe that you're a son of some big cheese from Yakuza who got a plastic surgery gone wrong to hide for reasons unknown. Presumably you're also a descendant of some guy named Arnold Ernst Toht."

…

The fact only one of this gossips has any sight of possibility does not help my hurting head at all.

"This has to be the biggest amount of bullshit I've taken in a long time." I respond truthfully, digging into ice-cream. Cream-flavored, yummy.

"Some of it might or might not be true, judging from what I see." Miki presents the biggest grin ever. "Ikezawa wasn't talking to anyone at all apart from some necessary stuff like book borrowing. Enter you and in a span of one week she can be seen briefly chatting with completely dumbfounded Tainaka."

"..."

"Misha, class rep's watch dog who doesn't leave her side apart from some minor cases. After your appearance, she can be seen sneaking through the girls' dorm, completely flustered. When asked what's she doing here that late, she said that "she totally wasn't in boys' dorm nor was she visiting no one named Casper"." ...Really? _Et tu_, Shiina? "And then, Miura-sama catches you red-handed while you exit Enomoto's room." This really has to be the biggest shit-eating grin ever made by a human being.

"What are you expecting me to say?"

"...Which one has the biggest tits?"

"W-what?!" Miki laughs for a longer while.

"Chill, Master of Romance, chill." She finally says after she's done.

"C-can you stop calling me that?! A-and what was that about their...?"

"Just screwing with ya." Great to know I'm becoming a local plaything. That surely will help my self-esteem. "Still, something _is_ in the air and you can't deny it, can you?"

"For starters..." Before I can even make a part of my retort, there's knocking to the door.

"Come in." Brown-skinned girl says. As expected, Suzu and Molly. They seem briefly surprised when they see me, but then it's replaced by slight smirk of narcoleptic and a frown of an Indian.

"Bugger." Braids girl murmurs as she reaches into pocket of her skirt and hands Suzu a five hundred yen coin.

I take a glance at them. Molly's casual attire doesn't seem to be too different from her school uniform. She's wearing a red t-shirt with some inscription in what I assume is Indian, a black skirt ending just above her knee, a pair of black stockings and brownish shoes. Suzu, on the other hand, is covered in denim. She's got a denim cut-off adorned with names of various bands, plain black t-shirt, knee-length jeans, knee-high striped socks and shoes which seem to be also made of denim.

"...What's this about?" I ask, glancing at blue-haired putting the freshly acquired coin into pocket of her jeans.

"They were betting whether you're going to be caught by me or not." Miki responds with yet another shit-eating grin.

"Betting. So you know as well?"

"Well, we were the ones who caught Misha." Suzu mentions offhandedly with a weak shrug before plopping straight on bed. "But we didn't know if it's a one-of-a-kind situation or are you really the Master of Romance."

"Can you stop calling me that? This has to be the stupidest nickname I've ever heard." Groan. Oh why? Why does the force up in the skies hate me so?

"Molls came up with it." The narcoleptic girl does a slight nod towards Molly who profusely blushes. "But, man, if this is not a surprise."

"Yeah." The braids girl takes her seat next to Suzu. "We thought it will be Hisao who will earn the title of Master of Romance."

…

"How does one achieve such a title?"

"By being a being made of swag, tolerance and awesomeness." Miki exclaims with mock piety.

"...I'm pretty certain Hisao is still a better candidate. I mean, he has charms and all."

"It's you who got them." Awkward silence.

"Look, you three. Nothing happened between me and Hanako, maybe apart from the fact we talked a bit. About Misha, we have established with each other that we're friends and nothing more. In Saki's case, well..." Crap. Shouldn't have end a sentence with "well". Yup, I messed it up and Miki's yet another shit-eating grin just confirms my speculations.

"Busted." She chimes cheerfully. "So what did you do?" Am I really being interrogated about this?

"Girls, no offense, but who gave you the right to-"

"He's getting defensive." Suzu interrupts me offhandedly. "Clearly there had been something." ...Looks like I really don't have what it takes to just take my things and leave post-haste. Apart from what's happening right now, I really don't have anything against them. I just... Gah. Guess I'm just sort of used to people being mean to me.

"Alright, you three. There is something and I probably fell head over heels for her. There. Happy? No Master of Romance gimmick. No harems. Just a girl I consider a great person." Phew. It probably sounded more awkward than I imagined it.

"Heh. Guess we went a bit too far in our interrogation..." Miki grins cheerfully. At least you're admitting that. "Well, good for you two, am I not right?"

"I'll be honest, I expected something slightly more... dynamic." Suzu butts in with a shrug. Yes. Rin through and through. Now that I think of it, what was the last time I saw her?

"Hey, it's good Saki has found someone." Molly disagrees with her friend's statement while shaking her head vigorously. "Even if, uh..." She seems to be staring at where my mouth is supposed to be. I get it, this might come out as creepily disgusting at best and downright fetishist at worst. Great, Saki's probably not even aware how people's opinion of her is falling. "B-but he's a nice guy at heart, I'm sure of that. Right?" That last question directed at me really seems to be hopeful.

"...I guess. It's all relative." I respond with a shrug. I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable now that Emi's not around to save me from increasing awkwardness.

"There you go!" Molly doesn't seem convinced of her own words. How charming.

"Look, girls, it's all nice and candy and that ice-cream is all the rage, but can I really be on my way? If someone else catches me in girls' dorm in a school uniform, they might be not as forgiving to me as you three were."

"Sure thing. We have what we wanted." Will it be really surprising if I say I didn't like the sound of that Miki's statement? For some reason I'm starting to feel that way about damn half of the statements made by girls in here. Seriously... "But chill, Master of Romance, chill. Miura-sama and her posse are not going to say anyone."

"Since when we're your posse?" Suzu tilts her head at her friend's words. For a nice change of pace, she seems actually confused.

* * *

Thankfully, I made it back to my room without any other incidents. Well, there was Hisao who gave me a surprised glance, but once I looked at him with what I can only describe as "the most terrifying threat to be ever made"(I think), he just nodded understandingly and backed out to his room.

Dear God, I can change into "civvies". Ain't that the most positive thing about this day? Waking up in Saki's bed while accidentally fondling her seemed too much of a shock to consider it "positive", so... and while the company of Power Trio wasn't that bad, well, the case of them getting to know what I'd rather preferred to keep secret... Eh.

I will have to look out for some laundry to get all of those uniforms clean... But it doesn't matter now. Now, it's time to feel the life of freedom! Fixing my favorite attire, consisting of black shirt with a melting skull, black jeans with a few metal studs – I'm a sucker for these – black sneakers, black fingerless gloves and my inseparable black fedora, I exit the room and the dorms, ready to face the sun and the music!

It's one o'clock. There's a ton of things to do. What to do then, what to do...?

* * *

**[]Look out for Misha and Shizune**

**[]Search for Emi and Rin**

**[]How about looking for Hanako and Lilly?**

**[]Uh... Back to Saki? I don't think I should...**

**[]Go to city**

* * *

**And here you got yet another chapter. What say you, guys? :)**


	17. Act 1, Part 16: Knight On the Offensive

**Well, I certainly did not expect that many „Hanako & Lilly" responses... ^^; Guess I'll have to resort to killing two birds with one stone.**

* * *

Well. I'm genuinely interested as to how Lilly's doing. Hanako's probably going to be around too, so I might as well check on her. Hopefully everything goes all good.

The question is, where they might be? It's probably after lessons already, but for certain reasons I don't feel like going back to girls' dorm. Hm. Perhaps the library? If I can catch Hanako in there, perhaps she will be able to tell me where can I find Lilly. I can also chat with her too. Maybe.

That being said, it's also some time since I last saw Rin. What might she be up to? I guess she might be around her mural, putting the finishing touches and all. Haven't seen much of Emi as well.

Now that I think of it... Nah. No point in thinking too much for now. Finding someone will be the first priority.

So... the library then.

* * *

While entering the possible location of Hanako, I can't help but wonder that I had no time to even read the books borrowed. Shame on me. I used to be an avid reader in the past, then I discovered Internet and, well... let's just say I found myself without much of really free time. Thankfully, it was not the net that kept me occupied during the last week. At least there's that.

Today there's no Yuuko in the library. Guess she's working at Shanghai today. Her place is taken by some bespectacled young man, probably some sort of colleague of hers. He's got blue eyes and is currently reading through a book, curiously, in English. "To kill a mockingbird", that's how it's called. He flips page after page, apparently mighty bored. He seems familiar for some reason...

"Can I help you?" He asks me, breaking my train of thought. He's got a serious, no-nonsense voice and yet he continues to look awfully familiar. He reminds me of someone, but I can't quite put a finger on it.

"Oh, I'm looking for someone." I respond rather absentmindedly. "Was a girl named Hanako here?"

"Not today, from what I recall." The familiar-looking librarian shakes his head. "Lilly's not here either."

"How did you know I'm going to ask about her?" I think I did a pretty good job masking my initial surprise.

"It's always like that." The librarian puts down the book. "On Saturdays, both Hanako and Lilly happen to visit this place together. There were four occasions where an exception from this rule was made.

"...Seriously. Do I know you?" He chuckles, giving me an amused glance and a rather big, shit-eating gr-wait a minute here.

"Lots of new people wonder that." The librarian responds. "I'm Yoshimitsu Miura, probably known as "Best Big Bro Ever", as certain other Miura can assure."

How could I be so blind? It all makes sense. Similar hair color, similarly tanned, a mischievous glint in eyes despite him being infinitely more composed than Miki...

That being said, for all I know her, she didn't mention a word about Yoshimitsu. Perhaps I'm not considered pal enough. Eh.

"Casper Stratoavis. Pleasure to meet you." I respond, this time giving up on the bow. Those people do not learn, ever.

"Can I help you then, Mister Stratoavis?"

"Not really, I'm afraid. I was just looking for those two. Thank you for explaining the situation to me." As I am about to leave, Yoshimitsu suddenly snaps his fingers.

"Oh right, before I forget that!" He says, clasping hands together. "There was that girl from track and field here. She asked if I can give you this letter." The librarian hands me a small sheet of paper, folded in two.

"Huh. Thanks." With a slight nod, I exit the library.

* * *

I'm pretty certain Yoshimitsu would not talk about his sister "that girl", so I assume this must be from Emi. What does she want from me though? I must say, it's... pretty unexpected.

The letter – more like a note really – says as it follows: rooftop at 3 PM. Nothing more, nothing less. It's not even signed. Then again, I don't know any other girl from track club sans Miki, so...

Makes me wonder, actually. I guess I can consider her a friend, or at least a good pal. Perhaps she wants to hang out with me on that tomorrow festival? Makes sense. Then again, there's Rin, but on the other hand she doesn't seem like someone very, huh, sociable.

Eh. We'll see.

As I appear on the rooftop, the twintails-haired girl is in her own "civvies", looking down from the rooftop. She's wearing a lemon yellow tank top, denim shorts ending just past her rear – which is rather shamelessly emphasized by them with a positive effect – and long striped socks, likely to cover up the prosthesis.

"Ask of me and I shall be." I say, giving a small smile. Emi turns to face me and, for some reason, for that brief split second I'm afraid that I will see something like worry or sadness. Thankfully, this is not the case. I'm glad.

"You took your time." She responds lightly.

"A bit, I guess. Well, now that you have me here, what can I do for you?" The girl before me seems to be thinking about the answer. Huh? Are you trying to tell me she's improvising?

"Oh, you see, I was just wondering if you're free the next day."

"Have no one to hang out on the festival, eh?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Rin's busy." The way she accents the last word almost makes me think that the armless artist is going to be doing things most forbidden. World domination perhaps?

"Huh. I, uh, I don't really know." I respond with some hesitation, scratching the back of my head.

There's Emi's offer, but I'm pretty sure Saki's going to come up with her own, same for Lilly and Hanako. Heck, I've even heard Kenji, of all people, saying something about a "manly picnic". Sounds dreadful to whoever's invited.

"What do you mean? Don't you find a prospect of spending a day with a cute little lady interesting?" She asks me, playfully grinning.

"Haha, Miss Ibarazaki." I reply with the most deadpan tone I can come up with. "But no, the idea seems captivating enough to consider it. It's just that... I might have another options and it might be hard to pick one."

"Huh. Miki was right, the rumors are true." The way she says it almost instantly reminds me of my chatter with The Power Trio earlier today. Hopefully names of girls I apparently spin between are not known to the public.

"...rumors?" Might as well play fool.

"Yeah. You wouldn't believe." Emi grins in a way I really don't like. It reminds me of the stupidest things Miura mentioned.

Hah. I, the descendant of Toht. I hate that scene.

"Care to enlighten me?"

"Eh. Some people say you're quite a player."

"Do you believe them?"

"Not really. You seem too goodhearted for that." Huh. I must say, that statement genuinely surprised me. "Huh? Something wrong?"

"...I, uh, I'm surprised by that sincerity, is all." I respond a bit hastily. Emi raises an eyebrow.

"...I see." She responds, nodding with a brief frown. Well played, Casper, for the umpteenth time you're screwing something up."Well then, how about you give me a call about your decision?" She asks, back with her smile, taking out a small cellphone. "Let me write down your number, eh?"

"Sure thing." I nod in response, letting her do the thing as I dictate it to her. "Do you have anything particular in mind about that festival?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know, the places you're going to visit."

"Nothing really." She responds, shrugging. "I'm just going with the flow. Do you have any?"

"Considering this is my first festival in here, not really." Emi rolls eyes at my poorly-hidden snark.

"Well excuse me that you didn't do your research." She responds, playfully scoffing. "Anyway, thanks. Give me a call tomorrow morning, will ya?"

* * *

As we part ways, I do a mental check list. Well, seems my meeting with twintails-haired girl takes care of both her and Rin. Now, Lilly and Hanako. Funny how I was looking for them in the first place and got sidetracked in the meantime. Hopefully I can find them too. That being said, for some reason I think they're not the type to have fun on the festival. I guess Lilly might, but Hanako seems bit panicky when surrounded by too many people. If I'll get an invitation from them, we'll probably wander to somewhere quiet, like Shanghai.

There are also Shizune and Misha. Can't forget about Hisao either, although he seems like he'll tag along those two. So, who else? There's Saki, of course, but for some reason I think I could also hang around with The Power Trio and Mikhail, or with Misaki or with Rika... there are a few options.

For reasons I cannot only describe as "preserving my sanity", Kenji is not an option.

My flow of thought gets interrupted with a crash. Someone has just bumped right next into me. This certain someone falls down to the ground with a sudden yelp. I, thankfully, manage to keep my balance.

Hanako. How very convenient.

"Are you okay?" I ask her, giving a worried look. There's still that ankle of hers. Even if treated, it might start acting up again. Lilly's not around with her, noted.

"Y-yeah..." She responds, not looking me in the eye. Eh. Shy again, I guess. I offer her a hand to stand up which she hesitantly accepts.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I w-was looking for Lilly..." Purple-haired girl again looks the other way. "H-have you seen her?"

"Not really. In fact, I'm looking for her as well."

"...Y-you do?" She seems surprised.

"Yeah. I was wondering if she has any plans for tomorrow. This festival is apparently a big thing."

"Oh... I-I think she has some p-plans already." Hm. I have no reason to accuse her of lying, so...

"Oh. I see." I nod in response. Hanako seems uncomfortable for some reason.

"Y-yeah." There's a longer moment of silence between us.

"Do you want me to help you find her?" I ask, giving her a cautious glance. She nods after a longer while.

"S-sure..."

And with that, we begin our search around Yamaku. For some reason it reminds me of what happened between me and Rika not so long ago. This time, however, the mysterious aura combined with a taste of risk of being caught at night is replaced by certain degree of awkwardness... Gah. I don't think I can describe that.

"Do you have any idea where she might be?" I ask at some point.

"S-she's not in the library, t-that's for sure." She responds, thinking. She must have visited it earlier while I was on the rooftop.

"Any other ideas?"

"W-well, there's the t-tea room..." Right. How did I not think of this? I nod in response.

Without further ado, we head there. She's not in here either.

"Hm. Troubling..." I murmur, seeing as Hanako's getting increasingly worried. "Do you happen to have a number to her?"

"I, uh, I d-don't have a phone..." Yeah. Thought so. "B-but I think I remem-mber it... you know, j-just in case..."

"Sweet. I'll dial her then." I pick up my own cellphone, the trusty, rock-solid Nokia 3310. The model might be old, but it's still hideously hard to damage and because of that highly functional. I don't really use that phone for anything other than texting and phoning, to be honest. After all, that's what the phones are for.

"Hello?" I can hear Lilly's slightly distorted voice.

"Good morning, Lilly. Casper speaking."

"Oh. Good morning." I can feel her smiling, somehow. "Did Hanako give you my phone number?"

"Precisely. May I ask where you are? We're a bit worried, can't find you anywhere."

"Oh, I'm sorry for that, I should have told Hanako where I'm going." There's some worry in her voice, I can see why. No offense to the fringe girl, but leaving her on her own somewhere can end bad very quick, if only because of her social awkwardness. "I'm having tea with Saki at the moment, we're in her room."

...Cold shivers down my spine. Seems I just can't seem to be allowed to forget what happened.

"I see. Do you mind if we pay you a visit?"

"Not at all."

"Well, we'll see you around then." And with that, I hang off the phone. "Would you happen to know Saki Enomoto, Hanako?" I ask the fringe girl, giving her a cautious look. She nods, but the nod seems more nervous than usual.

"Y-yeah... why do you ask?"

"Lilly's in her room." I respond, trying to give my voice a casual note. She doesn't seem to like it too much though.

"...oh." She murmurs.

"Shall I assist you on your way there?"

"A-aren't you invited too?" Yeah, I am.

Should I go though? I don't know if Saki's the one to spill the beans about things like the ones from yesterday evening. Hopefully she does have some basic understanding of tact. Question number two, is there a possibility that Lilly knows? Probably not, but she might have heard the rumors, dismissed them as silly... and then saw us in-oh wait. Still, she can hear, probably better than others. She might catch undertones, if there will be any... though I'm sure she wouldn't go and reveal it to the public. She's not this kind of person, hopefully.

Eh. Shizune and Misha are not around anyway. Might be busy with Hisao.

"Yeah, I am." I respond after a longer while of internal monologue.

"...you d-don't seem eager to c-come."

"It's that noticeable?" I allow myself a small, bitter chuckle. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

Am I?

* * *

Hopefully I won't be acting too nervous.

I knock to the door. Saki's room is yet again before me.

"Come in." I can hear her chirping voice. Makes me even more nervous.

I slowly open the door, letting Hanako get in there first. She seems a bit anxious as well, though unlike for me for her it seems to be a standard course of action. I, on the other hand, have little excuse, if any.

"Hey! You keep us waiting." She says, giving us an inviting gesture and smiling. Such a beautiful smile she has. I can see Lilly smiling too, though obviously she does not see us. "Come in, come in." She adds, encouraging us to go further inside. I give her a slightly nervous glance which she repays with a mischievous smirk.

Bugger.

What to make of it? Are we a couple? Was it a one-night stand or did something really kick out back then? Does she love me? Do I love her?

Are we really a couple?

"Hey, Saki... can I ask you for a four-eyes chat outside?" I try not to look her in the eye. She's still smiling. Still keeping the damn smile.

"Sure thing. Help yourself, Hanako, tea's over there." She responds, pointing at the small teapot before she leaves with me.

Okay. Now to think this through and reconsider what I want to say. Carefully with all of that. Care-ful-ly.

"How can I help you?" She asks, supporting herself with her cane.

"There's a matter I'd like to discuss with you, Saki. An important matter. " I respond after a while of hesitation. Now or never, I guess...

"Hm? Regarding what happened yesterday, I take?"

"Yeah." Long moment of silence. Too long. I can see her chuckling. Why is she chuckling? Is she laughing at me now? Finds it funny?

She approaches me slowly, standing just inches from me now. The hallway's deserted, how very convenient.

"I guess both of us don't know for sure." She murmurs, tracing fingers around my chest. "I like you, but do you like me?"

"I surely do, but... I..." Gah. I've no idea what to say. Her mere presence is enough to send me into incoherent stuttering. "I don't know if it's like a friend or... like something more. I, uh... I don't think I would make a good boyfriend." She seems to slowly weigh my words.

"We know each other rather shortly..." Saki starts, staring at me cautiously. "but despite that we got physical so fast as on day three of our meetings." I'm about to make a comment it's her who started it in the first place, but I don't think it would help my case. "I guess it's my fault." That catches me off guard. Huh? "I made a move... probably too fast for you. I understand you might be having trouble with relationships..." She hesitates for a while.

"...I..." I'm completely torn apart. What do I say to her? Do I love her? Do I just long for her physically?

What do I do?

"_Your choice, Mister Stratoavis... your choice." _Don't do it to me right now, Nega. Don't you dare interrupt me now! _"Aw, you're upset. You really do like her. More than a friend, even if you refuse to admit it." _Shut up. I don't need to listen to this. _"You will, and for a long time, my friend. Long, long time. You must win your game of chess after all..."_

...what? No, this can't be happening right now. Not now!

I'm back in the blackened room with two armchairs and a table with a chessboard on it. Nega smiles mockingly.

"_You're not paying enough attention, my friend." _He says, chuckling. "_Bishop beats Queen." _A figure of the demon cloaked in shadows pierces with its finger through Agusu's miniature sculpture, making it explode in a shower of blood. He's doing this on purpose, just to spite me more.

"...Pawn beats Bishop." I respond, giving him a challenging glare. A figurine of Suzu whacks Mephisto with a procured newspaper like a fly, sending it away flying. Nega seems bemused. "Taking down my Queen that easily? I do believe you said you're going easy on me."

"_Changed my mind. I like to spice things up without any warning."_ He sips his wine, savoring the taste. "_We had games like that back in the past, when you were thinking more about me and less about other things. You might not have been aware of it, but you've been winning all of those."_

"Must be some crazy skill if I keep besting you even when unconscious."

"_That's why I'm loosening the restraints. It's not my full potential, not just yet. Consider this however a real match rather than a warm-up."_

"Hmph." ...Very well, Nega. I'll play that little game of yours. "Knight beats Pawn." A figurine of Saki impales a Scarecrow with its cane, making it explode into cream-colored goo. My other self frowns.

"_Not bad."_

* * *

Blink. I'm back in the real life... am I being shaken? What the-

I jerk back, seeing again. Saki's just before me, holding my arms, looking pretty mortified. Her cane's around her left hand, but it's not on the ground. She's using me as a support now.

"...I must have spaced out." It's all I can come up with as an explanation. It sounds silly. Stupid. "I'm sorry." It's all spontaneous, but I pull her into an awkward hug. She's surprised, but hugs back a moment later.

"Saki. I'd like to tell you something."

* * *

**[]I respect you as a person and I really like you... but I don't think I'm ready for this.**

**[]You were right yesterday. I do like you more than a friend.**

* * *

**Mwahaha! I kept you all waiting, didn't I? There you go then, choose wisely... :3 Other than that, review with passion.**


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